Let's Do It Again
by Bebbspen
Summary: Three years after the loss of Frankie, Stef and Lena are having problems. They take in two new foster children, Stephen and Katie. Can these kids be the key to repairing damaged hearts? A/N: I only have the first five chapters (0-4) complete. My classes start up next week, so it might be a long time before I update again. But ya'll inspired me to write, so here goes!
1. Chapter 0

It's three years into future for our lovely Lena and Stef. They were finally able to adopt Callie last year. Brandon is at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, a whole continent away from his mothers and dad. Callie is at the University of California – Berkley where she is studying forensics. The two oldest kids often "battle" via skype or facetime over who is at the better "Berkley/Berklee." Jesus and Mariana are seniors at Anchor Beach and are preparing for college, and Jude is sixteen, dating Connor, and learning to drive.

Stef and Lena's marriage is different after the loss of baby. Although love was still abounding, sex was done seemingly as a requirement of marriage, not from a deep desire. Sometimes it was as if they were merely going through the motions. Sometimes their grief came through in their lovemaking, like last night. Stef released a deep sigh as she sat in the kitchen waiting for her loves to come downstairs. The sun had just started to peek over the hill, and then birds were singing their "end of summer" songs. She thought back to the night before, when she and Lena had gone upstairs to their bedroom, leaving their kids to finish school assignments.

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"I'm not blaming you, or your job, or my job. We're busy. But if we aren't mindful about these things, it all gets messy." Lena stated as she threw the decorative pillows to the floor.

"Lena, honey, the dishes will get done tomorrow, it's not a big deal!" Stef replied, walking to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"If we let it go one day, we'll let it go two, and then three, and then what?" Lena shared.

"And then we do the dishes!" Stef shouted from the bathroom, "but it won't get that bad."

"It's easy to think this conversation is only about the dishes," Lena said, shaking her head sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Stef asked sternly, returning from the bathroom to stand at the foot of the bed.

"You know what I mean." Lena retorted, sitting on the side with her feet beneath her.

"Oh, so you are blaming me, but it's about so much more than the dishes now." Stef said angrily.

"Do you hear me specifically blaming you?" Lena said with a glare.

"I can feel it, Lena. I'm sorry I know you well enough to know you don't have say it to feel it." Stef muttered.

"You're projecting, Stef. You feel guilty about it, and you also blame me, so you're assuming I'm blaming you."

"Oh, no. Don't you do that psychology stuff on me right now!"

"Stef, when was the last time we had crazy sex?" Lena asked matter-of-factly.

"We had sex three weeks ago! Jude was at Connor's, the twins were, well I can't recall at the moment because I'm so angry. But we were here. We had sex. In our bed!" Stef shouted. "Can you not remember?!"

"You didn't answer my question." Lena replied calmly. "When was the last time we had crazy sex? Not, 'ooh! Quick sex while the kids are out,' or 'it's been our obligatory dry spell, let's grease the engine,' or "hm, the opportunity is here and convenient, let's give it a try!' sex. When was the last time we screwed to show we wanted each other, needed each other, craved and desired each other?" Her voice had risen considerably, she was now shouting.

Stef simply stared at Lena.

"I'll tell you the answer, it's been about three years. Three years. Three years. We haven't had hungry, animalistic, creative sex in three years, Stef. And I miss it."

They didn't argue often, but when they did it was always a bit loud and harsh.

"Well, if you wanted it tonight, you can kiss that dream goodbye" Stef said in a huff.

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Jesus and Mariana looked at each other over the table. They hated hearing their Moms argue, but it had been happening fairly steadily in recent months. It always started over something seemingly minor and then escalated to their sex life.

Jude sat next to Mariana at the table; he posed a question trying to break the awkward tension in the room. "So, how does the college search go?"

Before either twin could answer, shouts from upstairs filtered down. "We had sex. In our bed!" Stef shouted. "Can you not remember?!" Jesus started to respond, "well, we're-" when another shout was heard. "-When was the last time we screwed to show we wanted each other, needed each other, craved and desired each other?" Lena shouted. Mariana gave Jude's hand a squeeze, and Jesus started to speak again when Lena's voice was heard, "-three years. Three years. Three years."

Jesus swallowed the knot in his throat, Mariana wiped a tear from her eye. Three years ago they had lost Frankie. And although that little baby never made it to their home, she made it to their hearts, and some scarring was left behind.

"Hey," said Jesus, his voice cracking, "Why don't we go get some ice cream, get out of here for a bit." Mariana and Jude nodded, slowly rising and heading for the door.

"Shouldn't we tell them we're leaving?" asked Jude.

"I'll send them both a text message," Mariana responded, "no one should go up there right now."

The three kids walked out the door, giving their Moms time and space to figure this issue out.

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Lena and Stef were at a stand-still. Neither spoke, neither moved, they simply glared at each other. Stef stood, her arms folded across her chest. Lena sat, her feet now crossed at the ankles.

It was the chiming of their phones that broke their silence. Lena picked up her phone from the bedside table.

"The kids went for ice cream." she said to Stef.

"Tell them to be back by curfew." Stef replied.

"I know how to parent our kids, Stef." Lena responded.

Stef huffed and walked around to her side of the bed. Climbing on top and leaning back, she began vigorously rubbing her face with her hands. Through her palms a muffled voice came, "What are we going to do?"

"Are we done being angry for the moment?" Lena asked, turning her entire body to face Stef.

"Love, I'm tired of being angry. I don't enjoy being angry. I don't want to be angry." Stef implored.

"Well, we can try counseling." Lena suggested.

"We've tried that on three separate occasions," Stef replied, "and it hasn't exactly proved a wealth of success."

Lena nodded knowingly at Stef. "Do you blame me for losing the baby?" Lena asked.

"Oh, Love, no!" Stef responded, tears forming in her eyes. "I could never blame you, it wasn't your fault that we lost Frankie."

Lena nodded and lowered her face. Stef brought her hand out to Lena's chin, raising her lover's face until they looked into each other's eyes. "Honest and truly, I could never blame you, Lena."

Stef caressed Lena's cheek, Lena leaned into her hand. "So what do we do now, Love?" Stef asked.

"All we can do," Lena said, "is love each other."

Lena and Stef began to lean into each other, their lips meeting softly, barely touching. Caresses were soft and loving, kisses smooth and placid. Hands explored slowly, and fingers brought them to a shared orgasm that brought relaxed breathing to the room. As the women untangled themselves, Lena turned away from Stef, facing the opposite wall. As Stef laid on her back staring at the ceiling, she heard the kids come in downstairs, laughter filtering up the stairs. She also heard her wife crying. Stef turned to cradle Lena in her arms, and they drifted off to a painful sleep.

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Jesus was the first person to come downstairs and greet Stef.

"Morning, Mom."

"Morning, Baby. How was your sleep?"

"I slept well, but too much sugar before bed was a bad idea."

"Mhm." Stef said with a knowing smile.

"We heard you and Mama arguing again. Is everything okay?"

"You know, Baby, I can't say that it is okay. Your Mama and I are kinda broken right now, and we're trying to find our way back."

Jesus looked at Stef, waiting for her to say more.

"But listen, Honey, your Mama and I love each other," her voice softening with a sigh as she caresses Jesus's cheek, "very- very much, and we will continue to work together to get better. We will be okay again someday. But in the meantime, things are a bit rough."

"Are you going to split up?" Mariana asked from the doorway.

"No, Sweetie, no. Not at all. We're not going to split up, we're just trying to work through some stuff."

"Like your grief and anger over losing Frankie," Jude offered from behind his sister.

"How'd you get to be so smart?" Stef asked with a smile.

"I've got some great Moms who helped me." Jude replied.

"Yes, Mama and I are still working through our issues related to losing Frankie. We've come a long way, but we have some road left to travel." Stef shared.

"But we don't want you kids to worry, we're going to be fine!" Lena whispered, joining them in the kitchen. "Your Mom and I are going to work through our stuff, we love each other very much."

Lena walked over to Stef and leaned in, giving her a kiss. As she did so, her bathrobe front opened a bit, giving Stef an opportunity to peek at her naked form underneath. As Lena stood back up, Stef said, "oh, oh, a few more please," beckoning for her wife to lean back in. Stef enjoyed the view as the kids cleared the cereal bowls and went about their morning rituals. "Thank you!" Stef declared.

"You're incorrigible!" Lena replied.

Clearly, though unbridled sex wasn't in their repertoire right now, both women still found the other as sexy as all get out.


	2. Chapter 1

Lena goes to the precinct to see Stef to talk about family finances for college kids. Walking across the parking lot and placing her keys in her purse, she wonders what it will take to bring the spark and lust back into their marriage. She loves Stef, there is no doubt of that. But she wonders where the passion went. Lena enters the precinct and begins scanning the room for her wife. Before long, she spots the telltale blonde bun on the back of her head, her square shoulders, and her shapely figure.

She watches as Stef interacts with two kids, a boy and a girl. The girl looks to be about the age Frankie would be. Oh, Frankie. Stef and Lena still ached for the baby they lost.  
As Stef spoke to the children, the little boy being around 7 or 8, Lena remembered what it was that made her fall for Stef in the first place... Beyond beauty, she had a wonderful maternal instinct.

She overheard as Stef said, "Okay, we're going to bring your step-dad in now. It could be scary, but he'll never hurt you again." Stef grabbed their little hands and gave a comforting squeeze.  
As Rodriguez brought the man in, Lena felt a sense of danger come into the room. The man was shouting, swearing, and definitely putting up a fight against Rodriguez's restraint. He was roughly 6'3" weighing around 300 pounds and he could do some damage if he got away.  
As Stef sat with the kids, the man spun quickly, elbowing Rodriquez in the face, and then started for his gun.  
Stef flew into action, tackling the man before he had the opportunity to access the unconscious Rodriguez's gun.  
"Don't even think about it," Stef said through gritted teeth as she wrestled the man to the nearest desk, slamming him down face first in a controlling manner. "Your kids are traumatized as it is, I don't want to have to do more damage by hurting you in front of them, so knock it off!"  
The man continued to wrestle, jerking left and right in an attempt to free a hand.  
"Get off me you bitch!" He yelled as he spit in Stef's face.  
"Woah, hoh! That's assaulting a police officer for the second time! Your rap sheet isn't looking too good right now. Resisting arrest, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, child endangerment and abuse, and two counts of assaulting a police officer. You might want to quit while you're ahead!"

As Stef continued to wrestle with the man, Lena realized that Stef wasn't even aware of her presence. Why would she be, they hadn't discussed her coming over today. What Lena became more aware of was a growing tingling between her legs. Sure, she always thought her wife was sexy, but there was something about seeing her in uniform, and in action, that brought about a sensation of desire. She exuded strength and confidence.

"Get off me, you fucking dyke!" The man shouted as Stef secured her handcuffs.  
"Oh, c'mon, big guy. You have no proof of that. And I thought we were becoming friends!" Stef said with a chuckle as she grabbed the man's shoulder and began lifting him off the desk he was bent over. As she led the still struggling man away, she gave the two small children a wink and a smile, saying, "Everything is okay. I'll be right back."

As Stef turned the corner, she saw Lena standing, leaning against the wall, watching her. "Oh, hi," Stef said. Lena just stood there smirking, her eyes going up and down Stef's body. The man looked between Stef and Lena a few times, and then proceeded to glare at Stef.  
"Okay, so maybe you were right about that one thing." Stef proclaimed.  
"I told you!" The man exclaimed as they walked on.  
"I'll be right back, babe. You can wait at my desk." Stef said over her shoulder. Lena only hoped her face was being read loud and clear.

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Lena returned from the cages to her desk. She found her wife reading a magazine as she entered the room. "Hey! To what do I owe the pleasure of the mid-day visit?" Stef asked. "Oh..." Lena said with trepidation. To be honest, she had more pressing things on her mind than talking about college funds for the kids." Stef read her face quizzically, "Lena, what's up?" She asked, trying to draw some info out of her wife.  
"Let's take a walk," Lena said, "someplace quieter and more private."  
Stef stood and gestured with her hand, indicating that Lena lead the way. As they walked past the two kids, Stef turned and said, "Hey Smith, can you find a place for these kids. I don't know if the children's room is available yet, Johnson and Riggs were doing an interview in there a bit ago. And then go check on Rodriguez." Stef turned to the kids, "I'll be right back. Officer Smith is going to get you comfortable for a bit," she said with a wink and a fist-bump to each. Stef then turned to follow her wife out of the room.

As they walked down the hallway in silence, Stef began to wonder about all of the things Lena could want to talk about. She knew things hadn't been the same in these last few years, but the one thing she knew without a doubt is that she loved her wife and kids more than anything. Could this be about the kids? Were they okay? Was this about their rapidly approaching empty-nest stage of life? Did Lena want to split up?  
"Lena, what's going on, Love, I'm scared."  
"You should be," Lena said as she grabbed Stef's hand and abruptly pulled her to the right into the nearest empty room, a brightly painted office which was used for storage.  
Stef heard the door slam behind her, but it was having her back forcibly pressed against it that made her aware if what was really going on. Lena's hands and lips were all over her in an instant. "Lena! Wh- wh- what are you doing? I'm at work, precisely where you should be."  
"Stef, I think my intentions are very clear." Lena said with a smirk as she began unbuttoning her wife's police belt.  
Stef put her hands on her wife's to stall her as she looked into her eyes. "Baby, I know things have been hard since Frankie, but this breeches all level of work ethics-"  
"Stef, shut up and enjoy the ride."  
In a flash Lena's hands flew to cradle Stef's face as her lips crashed into her lover's.  
As much as she wanted to protest, Stef couldn't deny the rising tide moving deep within her. She wanted her wife, and it was very clear her wife wanted her; they hadn't had wanton, unbridled, passionate sex in far too long. This wasn't merely obligation sex or 'sex to keep the marriage alive.' This was a deep desire from within both of them that had been building for some time.

As Stef turned her head to permit better access to her neck for Lena's passionate kisses, she mustered under a heaving breathe, "Did you lock the door?"  
Lena's response was to push her body even more firmly against Stef's, raise her leg to bring her thigh into contact with Stef's now aching center, and quickly reach behind the blonde to throw the bolt lock on the door.

Assured that they were now securely alone, Stef began it truly experience everything her wife was doing to her. It was, in a word, pure bliss. To have Lena's lips upon hers, their tongues dueling in dance, and Lena's hands exploring her torso, it was enough to cement in Stef's mind how much she truly wanted and needed this to happen. She wanted it so much that she tried to take control. Stef began walking Lena backwards toward the desk resting against the far wall of the room, steering her with her hands on her hips as she migrated her lips to that special spot on Lena's neck. As soon as Lena's backside hit the ledge of the desk, it was as if she had become aware of Stef's move for power.  
"Oh no you don't, woman, this is my show."

In one swift motion, Lena spun them around and hoisted Stef up to sitting on the desk.  
"Where'd you learn that move?!" Stef asked.  
"I've got game." Lena replied matter-of-factly.  
Together the women began unbuttoning the other's shirt as they continued kissing.

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Lena had Stef's shirt completely unbuttoned and untucked from her uniform pants. The only thing standing between her and Stef's glorious breasts were her black undershirt and her bra. Lena grabbed the bottom hem of Stef's t-shirt and yanked it up over her head, forcing the other woman to stop her groping of Lena's hips to raise her arms. Lena took this opportunity to kiss Stef distractedly while she used the t-shirt to bind Stef's arms above her head. With one hand holding Stef's arms against the wall, Lena brought her other hand forward to palm Stef's breasts, first the right and then the left, from overtop the lacy black bra. She next brought her hand around to unclasp Stef's bra behind her back.  
"Tsk! Tsk! Vice Principal Adams Foster isn't very observant today." Stef proclaimed.  
Lena looked closely at Stef, staring deep into her eyes. Stef lowered her eyes to the front of her own chest as if to say, "look again." Lena followed Stef's gaze to notice that the bra her lover wore had a clasp in the front. A smirk spread across Lena's face, she had a delectable idea. Slightly lowering her stance, Lena was able to maintain her hold on Stef's arms as she flattened her tongue against Stef's chest. Licking from just above Stef's navel upward, Lena used her tongue to flick open the clasp between Stef's heaving mounds. Stef's breasts sprung free from their enclosure and immediately Lena brought her mouth and hands to them. Stef lowered her bound hands to rest around the back of Lena's head; she wasn't going to put up any fights at this point. Lena transitioned from one breast to the other, assaulting each nipple with her tongue before licking a trail back to the other. Her hands tugged and pulled with intense want upon Stef's thighs, it were as if they had their own thoughts for how this rendezvous should proceed.

Lena began licking, kissing, and nipping her way down Stef's torso, she took her time knowing it would drive the blonde insane with want. Lena unbuckled Stef's belt and unbuttoned and unzipped Stef's black uniform pants. She placed the police belt safely in the bottom desk drawer where it would be out of the way, and she began to tug at the pants standing between her and her ultimate goal. Stef lifted her hips, and Lena deftly slid the pants in black lace thong over her hips and down to the floor. Lena stooped to grab Stef's thong, noting how wonderfully moist it felt in her hand. Placing the treasure in the pocket of her pants, Lena returned to what she truly wanted.

Slowly, Lena brought one finger to Stef's clit. Instead of beginning a circular rubbing pattern, Lena quickly lowered two fingers into Stef's folds, her breath hitching in her throat when she noticed just how wet Stef was for her. Beginning with a slow but deep thrust, Lena gauged how many fingers and how fast Stef wanted to go. By the bucking of Stef's hips, Lena surmised that she wanted it harder and faster. Lena began to thrust deeply into Stef with a hurried rhythm. Her palm crashing against Stef's clit, Lena guessed it would take long at all. Stef wrapped her arms around Lena's neck for leverage and she bucked in time with her lover. Breathing became labored, a sheen of sweat covered everything.  
When Lena knew it was time, she kissed her wife before slowly lowering her kisses to where she knew Stef wanted her most. Maintaining a rhythm with her thrusts, Lena began to match the timing with flicks of her tongue.  
'Oh, God, she tastes so good!" Lena thought as her tongue collected the wetness from between Stef's folds. She began using her tongue on Stef's clit, knowing it would drive the blonde wild. A whimper from above her and the familiar feeling of Stef's hands knotting into her hair told her she was definitely on the right track.  
Lena's thrusting continued as she placed careful ministrations on her lover's clit. Stef continued bucking with the amazing sensations she was feeling. With the moans she was hearing, Lena knew it wouldn't be long before Stef was crashing into oblivion. The thought was nearly enough to put her over the edge herself, but she carried on with diligence and desire for her wife.  
With the perfectly timed thrust and curling of her fingers combined with a flick of her tongue, Lena brought Stef to climax, her chin wet with the desire she so loved to taste.

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Her toes curled. Her hands knotted in Lena's hair. Her hips bucked uncontrollably.  
She threw her head back and closed her eyes, flashing of white behind her eyelids and the orgasm traveled through her body.  
"Holy... Oh, Lena!" Was all she could proclaim as she continued to ride the waves of her orgasm. Just as one wave subsided, another came and threw her back into the throes of passion. She continued to ride her wife's fingers and mouth until her clit became too sensitive to touch. Lena, ever adept at reading her needs, ceased her attentiveness to her center and began kissing her way up Stef's body until she found her lips. Stef received her lover's tongue into her mouth hungrily, enjoying the taste of herself on her wife's lips. As Stef and Lena continued to catch their breath from that round of lovemaking, Stef couldn't help but think of everything she wanted to do to her wife.

Swiftly, Stef spun herself off the desk and between Lena's legs where she was sitting on the edge of the desk. Her shirt completely off, Stef noted the work before her. Without a warning, Stef grabbed Lena from around the waist and carried her to the opposite side of the room. Stopping temporarily, Stef shoved some boxes out of her way to reveal a two way mirror, remembering that this had at one time been an interrogation room, though it hadn't been used as such in Stef's time on the force. Pushing Lena up against the mirror, Stef began assaulting her neck with kisses as she removed bits of clothing, starting with Lena's beautifully cut, tailor made pants which hugged tight in all the right places. Stef loved these pants on Lena, but right now she loved them more in a pile on the floor. Reaching behind, Stef unhooked the clasp of Lena's red and black bra and let is fall away. Her gaze fell to the pert nipples seemingly staring at her, begging to be touched. Stef pulled  
Lena's hands above her head and pinned them to the mirror.  
Stef looked Lena in the eyes, and said only, "stay." Lena nodded, but looked on with curiosity as Stef returned to the other side of the room and began pushing the desk toward Lena. Stopping a few feet from the mirror, Stef spun Lena around and directed her to sit on the desk. In only her red and black thong and black heeled shoes, Lena perched on the edge of the desk, not sure what was to come next.  
Stef looked Lena in the eyes and said, "off!" as she gestured to the thong. Lena starts to take off her shoes, but Stef shook her head to tell her to stop, "Just the thong, my dear." Lena quickly and expertly rid herself of the thong and continued to perch on the desk. Stef opened the top drawer on either side of the desk, and swiftly lifted Lena's legs into the air. She hooked each heel into the front of the open drawer, effectively giving herself full access to her lover's center. She found an old bulletproof vest and placed it just behind Lena on the desk, and then helped to guide Lena back so that her elbows were resting on the padded material.  
"Lena," she said, "I want you to watch yourself as I pleasure you, as I eat you into climax and oblivion. Maintain eye contact with the reflection in the mirror for as long as you can. Watch your reactions, and tell me what you want to see reflected back at you.

Stef begins by nipping at Lena's collar bone. She lowers to just below where Lena's shirt collar rests and sucks the flesh into her mouth. No visible marks for kids to see. Soothing the spot with her tongue, Stef moved to take one pert nipple in her mouth as she begins pinching and rolling the other in her hand. With her last free hand she begins kneading her lovers thighs, increasing blood flow and sensuality, but she does not touch Lena's center. Oh no, not yet.  
"What do you want, love?" Stef asks.  
Lena's breathing has become labored, she can only squeak out as she watches in the mirror, "mouth... lick... please."  
It's enough for Stef to work her way down Lena's body with kisses and nips, stopping to kiss the inside of each thigh before she inhales deeply through the nose, taking in her lover's scent. Stef starts low and deep into her folds as she licks toward Lena's clit and collects her moisture on her tongue. The guttural moan from above tells her she did something right, and so she repeats her action a few more times. With each lick, Lena bucks against her mouth. Stef collects moisture from Lena's center and brings it to her clit. "How are you doing, baby?" Stef asks, eyes briefly pointing up to look her lover in the face. "What do you want to see?"  
Lena looks in the mirror at the splendid view being reflected back at her. Before she even knows the words on her lips, they come, "you... inside me... three fingers." Stef quickly takes her hand and inserts first one, then two, and finally three fingers. She begins pumping in rhythm to Lena's bucking hips, allowing her wife to set the speed.  
"Oh, Stef!" Lena proclaims, "tongue, please. Eat me." Stef gladly accepted that direction, and she almost immediately felt her wife's hands knotting into her hair. As Lena's hips gyrated against her hand and mouth, Stef became aware of just how wet her wife had been, Stef's hand, chin, checks, and mouth were soaked, and it wasn't from sweat. Lena's rhythm picked up, and Stef knew it wouldn't be long. "Keep watching" she said and she licked her lover's center. Stef could see Lena's eyes were heavily lidded, and she knew that this orgasm was going to be a doozie. With increased fervor, Stef drove her wife closer to that edge.

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Lena has always loved the way Stef pleases her, she is a consummate lover. But to watch Stef pleasing her brought about a whole new level of eroticism she hadn't yet experienced. Watching her was like watching an artist at work, carefully and masterfully completing each precise action to create a beautiful piece of art. And woah, was her orgasm amazing!

Flashes of white hot spread across her vision. Her core contracted and her thighs came together in a tight grip around her lover's head. She convulsed in pleasure for what felt like an eternity, and her cries were anything but quiet and calm. "Stef! Stef! Oh! Stef! Yes! OMIGOD!" flew loudly from her lips and she continued to ride her lover's face and fingers. She didn't want it to end. She wanted to stay here forever.  
Stef rose and roughly kissed Lena, sharing the taste of her core with her. "Mmmm" Lena hummed, savoring the taste on Stef's lips and tongue. Lena stood to regain her composure, breathing deeply in an attempt to regulate the rapid rising and falling of her chest.  
"Wow! You need to come see me at work more often!" Stef stated.  
"It would appear that I do, wouldn't it." Lena responded.  
"Not that I'm complaining, but what brought this on?" Stef asked.  
"The way you spoke to those sweet scared kids, the way you handled that guy, the way you carry yourself. It all melded together and I was simply overcome with desire. It was either this or I go blow off some steam in my car, and let's be honest... This was fun for the both of is, and an indecent exposure arrest would ruin my career."  
Stef laughed as she began to sort through the piles of clothing strewn about the room. "Those are definitely good reasons!"

As the two women began to separate belongings and dress, Stef asked what brought Lena to the precinct today.  
"We need to talk finances for the kids colleges, particularly as Jesus and Mariana are preparing to embark upon their higher education journeys."  
"I guess we do. We'll figure it out, just like we have with the other two. Perhaps the same rules apply? Scholarship, scholarship, scholarship, and we'll help with what's left over. I can pull doubles occasionally if necessary, but we may need to explore work-study programs or student loans." Stef continued searching around the room as Lena finished dressing and fixing her hair. "Hey, have you seen my panties?"  
Lena reaches into her pants pocket, pulls the panties from their hiding place, and says with a wave, "Oh, you mean these panties?"  
"Yes, thank you babe!" Stef says as she reaches for them.  
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Lena says in a singsong voice as she stuffs them back into her pocket, "These are staying with me." With a sashay of her hips, Lena walks to the door, throws the bolt lock, and turns to face her wife. "Lock the door behind me until you're decent enough to come out." And with a flip of her hair, she walks out the door.

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Stef had dressed and walked across the hall to the bathroom to wash up. As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but note the sensitivity between her legs. Without the added barrier of her panties, her center was soon aching from where her uniform pants rubbed. Why, oh why, did Lena have to keep her panties?

Taking a deep breath and shaking her head to clear her mind, she returned to the desk room where Mike and the others officers greeted her. "Hey Foster, where ya been?" Smith asked. "We saw your wife leave a bit ago, what happened to you?" teased Riggs. "Okay, okay, fellas, leave her alone," Mike said. Stef turned to Mike with a knowing look in her eye. Most of the force knew about the loss of the baby, but only Mike saw how much it had affected Stef and Lena's marriage. "Stef, those kids are down in the children's interrogation room. We're waiting for a caseworker from the system to come down." Stef looked at Mike, "They don't have any other next of kin?" she asked. "Nope, I guess not. So they'll go to a group home for now until they can get placed somewhere."

Stef walked down the hall toward the room the kids were in. "Stephen? Katie?" she called as she entered. She indicated that the desk clerk could leave and that she would stay with the kids. As they each cuddled up next to her and fell asleep, she thought back to the times with her other kids, and she recognized that she would never have this feeling again. Quietly and smoothly so as not to wake the kids, Stef picked up her phone and called Lena at home, "Hey, babe. Is our paperwork to foster still up to date and on file?"


	3. Chapter 2

Lena hung up the phone after talking to Stef. It looked like those two kids, Stephen and Katie, were going to be coming to stay with them for a while. As she turned to begin making supper for what would now be seven people, Jude and Connor walked in from school. At sixteen, both boys were learning to drive and were growing in height and strength.

"Hey Mama, we're home! We're going upstairs to work on homework!" Jude called.

"Remember the rules, no closed doors." Lena hollered back. She and Stef weren't naïve enough to think that Jude and Connor weren't sleeping together after all this time. Stef, like she had done with all of their kids, provided condoms for Jude and Connor, and they had had a frank talk with both about the dangers of not using protection. Even so, and even though they had raised their kids in a sex-positive house, they had to lay down ground rules when it came to actually allowing sex in the home. "Connor, are you staying for supper?" Lena shouted up the stairs. "Yes, if I may please!" he shouted in return. Always such a polite young man, Lena thought.

Jesus and Mariana entered from the backyard.  
"What about Ohio State?" Jesus asked?

"Oooh! Chicago!" Mariana countered.

"FSU has a great program for athletics" Jesus said with a smile.  
Despite Stef and Lena's best efforts to encourage the twins to go to different colleges and embark on lives and distinct individuals, Jesus and Mariana were determined to go to the same college together. This was complicated by the fact that neither of them had any clue what they wanted to study, so they were stuck when it came to assessing academic criteria for any university discussed.

"I have an idea," Lena shared, "how about you both go to San Diego Community College for two years until you decide what to do. You can live at home, Mom and I can save more money, and then we won't feel like we're pouring money down the drain at an expensive school.

"Yeah, right, Mama." Jesus said, "We love you, but we don't want to live at home anymore."

"Fine, SDCC has student dormitories now, so you can still live on campus away from the watchful eyes of your Moms, and we can still save a bit of money.

Jesus and Mariana looked at each other as if to consider the suggestion, nodded their heads as if to say, 'we'll consider it,' and went upstairs.

"Hey! We're here!" Came a shout from the front door. Lena turned and headed in that direction to greet her wife and their new foster kids.

Crouching down to eye level, Lena said, "Hi, I'm Lena. I've heard that you've had a rough day. I want you to know that you're safe here, no one can hurt you."

"I'm Stephen, and this is Katie," said the young boy.  
"Hey Stephen," said Stef, "why don't we take you and Katie and check out the backyard with our big kids. I want to talk to Lena for a moment." Turning to the stairs, "Jesus! Mariana! Jude!" Stef paused and raised her eyebrows at Lena, asking without words if Connor was there as well. When Lena nodded, Stef continued, "Connor! Come downstairs please. I want you all to meet some new friends and show them the backyard."

All four teens came down the stairs in a rush. Each had received a text message from Stef asking if it were okay for Stephen and Katie to come and stay. "Stephen, Katie, these are our kids, Jesus, Mariana, and Jude. And this is Jude's boyfriend Connor." Stef and Lena had always made it a point to be transparent to new acquaintances about their relationship and sexuality as well as Jude's. They wanted Jude to know they fully accepted him, supported and loved him, and that there was nothing to be ashamed of about being gay.

"C'mon," said Jesus, "let's go out back."

Stef followed Lena to the kitchen, snagging a fresh green bean from the colander to munch on. "Hey baby," she said with a quick kiss. How are we doing for supper?

"We're right on time, which means about fifteen minutes behind schedule as usual" Lena said with a smile. She looked Stef up and down in her uniform and remembered their afternoon escapades. Her breath hitched in her throat, and Stef gave her a knowing look with a raised eyebrow. "Honey," said Stef, "we don't want supper being an additional thirty minutes late. You'd best not look at me like that." She gave Lena's behind a nice smack as she began cutting up the red potatoes for roasting. "Where are we going to put these kids? They're a bit too young to share a room with the older kids, and now that each has their own room I doubt we'll be able to convince them to share."

"What if we put them in the nook where Callie and Jude first stayed? It's not ideal, but it could work for the time being."

"Love, I really want to give them some solid private space so they can begin to feel normal." Stef responded.

"Here's an idea…What about if we put them in the study den we had added on last year? It's big enough for two beds, and they can have their own space. We don't want to separate them from each other after the experiences they've had, and this could be the perfect solution."

"I like that idea. For now we'll pull out the sofa that's in there, and tomorrow we can haul Brandon and Callie's old beds in for them." Stef looked at Lena with a smile and leaned in to give her a kiss. "I love you so much, and your willingness to open our home yet again to some kids in need." The two women got lost in their embrace when they heard a small voice, "Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" Stef and Lena turned to see Stephen holding Katie's hand, "She has to go."

"It's right over here honey," Stef said, approaching and offering a hand to Katie.

Katie looked at Stephen and gripped his hand tighter.

"It's okay," Stephen said to Stef, "I'll take her."

Stef smiled and nodded, rising to her full height and watching the two walk to the bathroom door. She couldn't hear what Stephen said to his sister, but she watched as she entered the bathroom and he waited right outside the door.

"So, what's their story?" Lena asked as they watched the kids head back outside.

"Their dad was killed in a carjacking gone bad three months after Katie was born. Their mom died last year after a very short battle with cancer. She had remarried to the man you saw today not long before she was diagnosed, she didn't know he was a jerk. Both biological parents were only children, and the grandparents had died several years ago. So step-dad was granted custody as the only "father" they had or knew. He beat the tar out of Stephen, who fought to protect Katie. He started drinking and brought a new girlfriend home who he proceeded to beat in front of the kids. Malnourishment, hitting them with brass knuckles, locking them their bedroom for days at a time only skim the top of what this guy did."

"So how was he apprehended today?"

"He had the kids in the car without car seats or seat belts. He was driving erratically and ran a red light. Mike and I responded and immediately took the kids back to the precinct while Rodriguez and Bowers did the arresting.

"I can't believe what they've been through. Brave kids."

"Yeah," said Stef, "they are. I'm concerned about Katie, she hasn't said a word since we picked them up."

"Babe," said Lena, "You know as well as I do how kids can respond so differently to trauma. Remember when Callie first came to us and how little she let us in? And remember when Jude stopped talking? I'm sure if we make Katie feel safe, she'll start talking when she's ready."

"See, this is why I love you!" Stef proclaimed with a kiss. She walked over to the sink and watched as her kids played with Stephen and Katie in the backyard. 'Maybe the kids will open them up,' she thought. As she watched, she felt Lena's arms snake around her waist and pull her close. Stef could feel Lena's breath on her neck and Lena placed kisses from her ear to her collar bone.

"Stephanie. Marie. Adams. Foster," Lena began, punctuating each word with a kiss, "I love you, and I love the wonderful life that we've created. We have amazing kids who are kind, compassionate, and smart. We've built a wonderful, loving home for them. And if you are in any way thinking that this stay with Stephen and Katie could potentially become something more long-term, I'm right here with you." Stef was left feeling abruptly abandoned when Lena left their embrace to open the back door and softly yell, "kids, come set the table for supper. We'll be eating shortly."


	4. Chapter 3

"Mama, can you pass the chicken?" asked Jesus.

"Here, baby" Lena said, handing the platter down to the other end of the table.

Stephen and Katie had been staying with the Fosters for about two weeks. Stef and Lena had indeed brought Brandon and Callie's old beds in for the two children to sleep on, but whenever they awoke in the morning, both kids were in one bed. Perhaps it was their concept of survival after all that they had been through. Katie had started opening up to Stef and Lena a little bit. She went to preschool during the day and usually came home chattering about what had happened that day, but if Stef or Lena asked her a direct question, she would clam up and wait for Stephen before talking again. They attributed it to a slow progression and felt that with just a bit more time, Katie would be much better adjusted.

As the family began clearing the table of supper dishes, Jessica and Connor entered the house. After Jesus's "Hayley" tattoo debacle, Hayley had continued to come around, but Jesus quickly put a stop to that. He'd had a few girlfriends in the meantime and was currently dating Jessie, a soccer player and cellist at Anchor Beach.

"Hey," Jesus said, rising to give Jessie a hug, "I've got to clean up from supper, and then we can work on our assignment for Timothy's class.

"What's the assignment?" asked Lena.

"We have to create an entry for a writing competition about dreams, desires, and determination." Jessie replied. "It's about encouraging us to look at where we've allowed others to control us, but also how we may have let ourselves down with decisions we've made."

Lena smiled, "That sounds interesting."

Connor walked over to Jude and wrapped his arms around his waist, planting a kiss on Jude's cheek from behind. "Hey hot stuff, can I spring you from this prison for a date of ice cream?" he asked, looking knowingly at Stef and Lena for permission. Stef nodded with a smile, "but only after he does the dishes!" she added. Connor nodded in agreement and began helping the family move dishes to the counter.

Stef and Lena had invested in iPads in the last year, and suddenly both tablets started ringing. After shuffling some papers around, they located the items on the table in the nook area and opened the covers.

"I've got Brandon" said Lena.

"I've got Callie" said Stef.

Both accepted the Facetime calls from their kids. It was typical for the two to call at the same time because it was easier to get all new information out there in the open at once. Immediately Brandon and Callie began their "Berkley/Berklee" battle, and Stef and Lena merely sat and looked on. Soon, Katie came wandering up with her teddy bear, Stephen had gotten her into her pajamas. She looked at Stef and Lena expectantly, and Lena lifted the young girl up to snuggle between them. Noticing the new addition to the screen, Brandon and Callie stopped their playful banter to address the little girl.

"Oh, you must be Katie," said Brandon. "I'm your older foster brother, but you probably won't see me for a while. And this jokester you see over here," he said pointing to Callie's image, "is your bigger foster sister, Callie. You might get to see her while you're staying with our moms."

"I've heard a lot about you," said Callie, "and I know you're in preschool. That's very cool!"

Katie seemed uncertain of the attention, she wriggled in her seat to secure herself and snuggled deeply into Stef's side, holding her teddy bear in front of her face.

Stef and Lena redirected the conversation away from Katie, and within minutes the child was asleep. Brandon wasn't expecting to be home until Christmas, but Callie thought she would be able to make the trip for Thanksgiving. Each of the kids filtered into view of their two eldest siblings at one point or another. Brandon gave Jesus advice about colleges, and Callie spoke to Mariana about a new boy she liked. Brandon spoke to Jude about learning to drive and how proud he was of his little brother.

Stef and Lena beamed at how great their kids were and how close-knit their family was. Sure, they'd had some pretty serious events occur, but these kids looked out for each other. With a knowing nod, they excused themselves to put Katie to bed, allowing for their kids to talk with Stephen and each other in privacy.

As Stef carried Katie down the hall, she rubbed her back. The child snuggled into Stef's arms and looked to be at absolute peace. Stef tried to put Katie down onto her bed, but each time she seemed to stir and cry. After three or four attempts, Stef took Katie to the sofa and laid down there with her. Lena leaned in the doorway and drank in the sight before her. Her wife, cuddling a baby, in their home. It was something she never thought she'd see again, and she didn't want to lose the image from her mind. She slowly walked into the room and in the direction of the sofa where Katie slept safe in Stef's arms. She knelt down beside the sofa and looked deeply into Stef's eyes.

"I love you so much." She leaned in and placed a deep but meaningful kiss on her wife's lips.

"I love you too!" Stef replied back. "She's right around Frankie's age. I can't help but think of our little girl when I hold her. I can't help but think of all the things we've missed, she's missed. It breaks my heart."

Teary eyed, Lena nodded. "I know, babe. I know. Katie can't replace Frankie, but she can bring us healing."

"Moms, we're heading out," Jude whispered from the doorway.

"Okay, young man, but be sure to be home by curfew," Stef whispered back.

Jude nodded, grabbed Connor's hand, and they eager walked down the hall to the front door.  
"Do you think they're going to-?" Asked Lena.

"Oh, yeah" said Stef. Both women giggled and rolled their eyes.

"Do you think you can get her to lay down on her own now?" Lena asked.  
"I can try" said Stef, slowly turning and rising from the sofa. She headed for the bed, carefully placed Katie down, and rose to a full standing posture. "Yep, done."

"Let's go open a bottle of wine and sit in the living room. We'll be able to listen and see our beautiful kids interacting."

Stef nodded in agreement, turned out the light, and followed her wife to the kitchen.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Stef and Lena sat in the living room in silence. It was nearing 10 o'clock, and they were waiting for Jude to come home from his date with Connor. He wasn't late, and in fact had only missed his curfew once in the entire time he'd been with Stef and Lena. And yet, Stef and Lena couldn't help but wait up for him to arrive home. Jesus and Mariana were in the nook working on homework and college essays, and Stephen had long ago climbed into bed in the den.

The front door gingerly opened and Jude entered, a bright happy smile on his face.

"How was ice cream?" asked Stef.

Huh?" responded Jude.

"Did you have a good time?" asked Lena?

"What?" responded Jude.

"Do you need more condoms?" asked Stef.

"Yeah, sure" responded Jude. "The entire night was great. Ice cream, walking on the beach. Connor's just such a great guy, I really think he might be the one I spend the rest of my life with."

Stef and Lena beamed as they listened to their son, amazed at all he has overcome and excited for his bright future, wherever it may take him.

"Okay you, off to bed." Lena said, ushering Jude out of the room and upstairs. "Do you ever worry about him?" she asked.

"About what, Love?" Stef asked.

"Do you worry that he will settle here for Connor rather than chase his dreams?"

"Maybe Connor is his dream." Stef responded. She grasped Lena's hand and slowly rubbed her thumb along her knuckles.

Lena nodded in understanding and pulled Lena up behind her. Without a word they both turned to check on Katie and Stephen, looped back through the kitchen to drop off their wine glasses, and walked through the nook to say goodnight to Jesus and Mariana.

"Don't stay up too late," Stef said. "We love you, good night."

"Good night, Moms," the twins replied in unison.

Stef grabbed her wife's hand and silently led her up the stairs to their bedroom.


	5. Chapter 4

Lena awoke with a startle. Something small had moved on the bed. Opening one eye slowly, she felt her heart melt at the sight before her. In the center on their bed, nestled safely into Stef's chest, was Katie. Something felt right about the little girl being in their bed. As Lena adjusted her position on the bed, Stef stirred and awoke.

"Good morning" the blonde whispered to her wife.

"Good morning" Lena replied, nodding toward the sleeping baby with a quizzical eye.

"She awoke sometime around 2:30, and I couldn't get her back to sleep on her own. She cried, and I didn't want her to wake Stephen. So, I brought her back to bed with me."

Lena leaned in to give her wife a kiss. What was intended to be a quick kiss turned passionate almost immediately.  
"Mmmm" Stef moaned into the kiss. Lena caressing her cheek and neck was wonderful.

"We can't crush the baby," Lena said, as she abruptly ended the kiss and headed for the bathroom. "But, I bet if you place some blankets around her to keep her from rolling off the bed, we can probably have fun in the shower."

Stef didn't need to be told twice.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

The women were enjoying themselves in the shower. It seemed that since their rendezvous at the precinct they'd found a lusty groove again. Desire and passion were reignited in their marriage in a way that made its recent absence apparent. Soaping each other's bodies, washing each other's hair and massaging scalps and sore muscles, everything was a wonderful sensual stimulant. Their soapy bodies slid against each other very smoothly, and their nipples pressed together made their mutual arousal apparent.

Stef had Lena pressed up against the glass wall of their shower stall. With her hand she held Lena's arms above her head, her thigh pressed firmly into Lena's center which Lena enthusiastically rode. Stef kissed and nipped at her wife's neck and shoulders, thoroughly enjoying this morning shower. They were so lost in their experience that they didn't immediately see Stephen walk past the bathroom door which they had left slightly ajar incase Katie awoke.

As Lena rode Stef's thigh to her climax, a guttural moan escaped her lips. Both were so lost in the moment that they were unaware that Stephen was standing just beyond the doorway in their bedroom, having witnessed their lovemaking. It wasn't until they heard Jesus yell, "I'm sorry, Dude!" and run into view and scoop the young boy up that they even knew there had been an audience.

Burying her face in the crook of Lena's neck, Stef began to laugh.

"Now, what's so funny about this?!" demanded Lena.

"I'm absolutely mortified. If it had been one of our own kids, that's one thing. But I think we have to eventually give this one back, along with his little sister. And he just saw us in a way none of our other kids have."

"Okay, one… You're delusional if you think the others haven't at some time walked in on us having sex. Two… what if we don't give them back?"

"Lena, our kids haven't seen us…" Stef trailed off, the realization of what her wife was saying sinking in. "You mean… you mean… you want to keep them?" Stef asked.

Lena nodded at her wife as she pulled her into a tight embrace. "I really do. I know it's sudden, but I feel so right about this."

"It's not that sudden, babe. We've had these two with us for twelve weeks now."

"True, and they've been growing by leaps and bounds here. Katie absolutely adored meeting Callie a few weeks ago, and Stephen has taken a liking to talking with Brandon each week. I think we can provide them with the life they need, and I just love them so!" Lena responded.

Okay, why don't we talk to the kids sometime today and see what they think."

"I like that" Lena nodded.

The women began to depart from the bathroom. A note on the bed said, "I have Katie – Mariana" and Stef and Lena began to dress. Stef would be lying if she said she wasn't let down that Lena was the only one who had a morning release, but sometimes that was simply how the cookie crumbled. Stef dressed quickly and prepared to leave the bedroom when she heard her wife clear her throat. She turned to see Lena on the bed wearing nothing but a red lace thong and matching bra, her hair splayed across the pillows and her legs crossed at the ankles. "Come here, woman. I'm not done with you yet!"  
Stef was across the room and into her wife's arms in no time flat. "I love it when you call me 'woman,' said Stef.

"I know." Lena confidently replied.

"What're you going to do to me?"

"Make you scream my name. Quietly, of course. We already have one traumatized child in the house, we don't need more." Lena gave Stef a wink as she began placing kisses on Stef's exposed neck. "Are you a fan of this shirt?" she asked.

"Well, I mean I sorta like it, but it's not an heirloom or anything I would wear in public—"

Before Stef could finish her statement, Lena had gripped the flannel shirt by the neck and ripped it open."

"Woah, okay" responded Stef, immediately turned on by her wife's vigorous actions. As Lena continued to pepper Stef's neck and chest with kisses, nips, and licks of the tongue, she interspersed these action with whisperings of naughty deeds in Stef's ear.

"I'm going to shove my tongue into your core."

"I'm going to tie you to the bedframe and give you a nice hard ride from my strap-on."

Lena was gauging Stef's responses to these suggested acts, waiting for Stef's body to betray her and tell which act she would commence.

"I'm going to let you ride my face for as long and as hard as you want."

Stef's eyes grew wide with the last pronouncement.

"Well, well, well," said Lena, "it looks like we have a winner."

Lena positioned herself on the bed with just one pillow under her head. She nodded for Stef to join her, and the blonde followed order. By placing a knee on either side of Lena's head and grabbing the headboard, Stef slowly lowered her core to meet her wife's waiting lips.

Lena grabbed Stef's ass to steady her wife, and began licking her wife's center, amazed at the wetness her tongue collected. Lena let Stef set the pace, moving with the rocks of her wife's hips. As Stef approached her climax, her rocking became harder and faster, and her knuckles turned white while she grabbed the headboard. Her wife's tongue, combined with her own thrusts of her rocking hips, was simply delectable. Stef began rocking harder and faster, her breathing labored, moans escaping from her slightly parted lips. She hadn't come like this in what seemed forever, but part of her enjoyment in this particular position was that she held most of the control.

With one final swipe of Lena's tongue and a hard thrust, Stef tumbled over the edge into bliss. "Oh, my, Lena. Oh my God!" Her core contracted as she tried to pull Lena's tongue deeper within her. She rode the waves of pleasure for as long as she could, her muscles quivering in after-shock. She climbed off of her wife and slid next to her on the bed, kissing her so as to taste herself. There the women stayed for a few minutes.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

As Lena and Stef made their way downstairs, they looked for their kids.

"Family meeting! Everybody! Jude and Mariana, see what you can do about getting your brother and sister on the iPads. Jesus, bring Stephen and Katie to the living room."

"Oh, don't worry, Moms. Jude and I already talked to Stephen about what he saw, and he's totally okay with it. Minimal scarring. Though, you could have been a little quieter for round two just now."

"No, Jesus. Although we appreciate you talking Stephen through his traumatic ordeal, this is not what we're calling a family meeting for." Stef replied.

As Mariana and Jude got their brother and sister on the iPads, the entire crew piled into the living room.

"Okay, loves, Mama and I have a question for you of the official Foster clan. We're interested in making Stephen and Katie's stay with us more permanent. Is that okay with each of you?

The twins smiled at each other, and Jude and Callie nodded. It was Brandon who said the words, "there's enough to go around."

Stef and Lena turned to Stephen and Katie. "Would you be okay with us adopting you?" Lena asked softly. "Would you want to stay with us forever? We'd really like you to."  
Katie looked to her brother for guidance, and Stephen looked at the people around him. Slowly he nodded, a smile growing on his face. "Yes." Said Katie, her first response to a direct question from Stef and Lena.

"The women looked at each other. Their family was growing yet again, and they could not contain the love swelling in their hearts. Tears spilled over their eyes as they brought Stephen and Katie into their arms for a hug.

"I'm glad that's done. I don't know if we could give Stephen back at this point." Jesus stated.  
Brandon and Callie both looked quizzically at their brother.

"He's damaged goods now," Jesus stated. "He saw Moms…"

Brandon and Callie cut their brother's explanation off. "Got it!"; "Oh, I see!"; "I know what you mean!"

"What do you mean by, "I know what you mean?!" demanded Stef. All five kids, Brandon, Callie, Jesus, Mariana, and Jude, looked at her as if to say, 'are you serious right now?' "You've never seen Mama and I doing anything!" Stef proclaimed in exasperation.

"It's okay, Mom." Brandon responded, "Stephen just didn't know the clues to look out for. We'll teach him. But in reality, yeah, we've all seen you at some point or another."

Stef turned to look at Lena. "How is this possible?!" she asked. "And wait… what 'clues' are you referring to exactly?"

"Well," started Brandon, "like when Mama looks at you…" The glares he was receiving from his siblings told him to stop, to stop immediately. "Never mind."


	6. Chapter 5

Stef and Lena were spending a lazy Saturday afternoon at home. Jude had gone with his friend Carol to see a movie, Jesus was at the skate park with Jessie's brother Jeremy, and Mariana had gone to Zack's house to spend time with him so that he could care for his mother. Only the two youngest children were still at home.

After they talked about the adoption of the kids, Stef and Lena had called their lawyer to begin the legal process. It looked like it could be a lengthy process. As is the case with most kids in the foster system, they can't be adopted unless their legal parent or guardian signs over their rights. Because Stephen and Katie's legal guardian was in prison for the next six years, it wasn't a challenge to find him. It was, however, a challenge to convince him to sign over his rights.

Stephen walked into the living room where Stef and Lena were cuddled on the couch reading.

"Hey, Buddy," Lena said, lowering her book. "What's up?"

Stef lowered her newspaper and looked at Stephen over her reading glasses.

"I heard you went to see my dad, erm, Bob, about adopting us," he started. "What did he say?"

Stef glanced at Lena and cleared her throat. They took a moment to unfold themselves, then patted the seat between them. "Come sit," Lena said, "and we'll tell you about it."

"Well," Stef began, "We went to see…" she paused, not knowing what to call him, "Bob," she tentatively continued, "and he didn't want to sign away his rights. Because he's only in prison for six years, he's arguing that when he gets out he'll want you back."

"But," Lena interjected, "it's highly unlikely that the judge would send you back to him, even after his time in prison is over. He did some very bad things, so the judge might tell him that his rights have been terminated, whether he agrees to it or not."

"So we can get adopted?" Stephen asked excitedly.

Stef angled her head and grimaced. "Well yes, Buddy, but it's going to take a little longer. Because he won't willing give up his rights, there has to be a court hearing to determine if he can ever be fit to parent you. So now we have to wait for the family court system to call his case."

"How long will that take?" the young boy asked.  
"Well," said Lena, looking at Stef and then at Stephen, "it will probably be another three months before they call his case, and then from there it will only take about another three weeks for the judge to make the decision. After that, legal paperwork can add another month or two."

Stephen sat, counting the time on his fingers. "So, it could take six months?" he asked.

"I'm afraid so, Love," Stef replied. "But don't worry, as long as you're with us, you're our boy, you got that?"

Stephen nodded. "Good, now run and play. There's an entire back yard just for you!" Stef said, kissing the top of the boy's head as Lena wrapped him in a hug.

"Katie's napping," he said as he ran out the door.  
"I just love him and his care for his sister," Lena sighed as she snuggled back into Stef's side.

"I know exactly what you mean." Her wife agreed.

As they snuggled in, Stef thought back to their visit with Bob.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Stef and Lena sat on one side of a visitation table. All around them were metal tables and chairs, bolted to the floor, and austere white walls. As they waited for Bob to be brought in, they looked around at a few other inmates who were visiting family members.

"I don't like that there isn't a glass barrier between us" Lena said, "it makes me feel nervous."

"Love, he can't hurt us. See all those people around the outside of the room with guns, they're here to ensure he doesn't do anything. And I know how to restrain him if necessary." She followed the last statement with a wink, causing Lena to lightly slap her arm and laugh.

Soon, Bob was brought in with two guards and seated at the table across from them. He slouched in his seat, kicked his legs out to either side of the table, and sighed as he folded his arms. "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Bob, you likely remember me as the officer-"

"The bitch who threw me face first into a desk!" he interrupted.

"Cool it, inmate!" a guard yelled from the side wall.

Bob looked at the guard before turning back to Stef and Lena. "Yeah, I remember you. I still ask, what the hell do you want?"

Stef cleared her throat before continuing. "Yes, well, this is my wife Lena, and we-"

"Wahoo, let's throw a pride parade!" Bob interjected. "Two ladies are married!" He waved his arms emphatically in the air.

"Now! Inmate!" the guard yelled. "Knock it off!"

Bob folded his arms, looked at the women, and nodded.

"As I was saying," Stef continued, "this is my wife Lena. We've actually been fostering your step-children, Stephen and Katie, since the day you were arrested."

"Go on.." Bob said.

"We, uh" started Lena, "we, uhm;" Stef placed a hand on Lena's thigh to encourage her. "We love your kids, and we want to adopt them," Lena spit out. Stef rubbed small circles on Lena's thigh to comfort her. Bob started to laugh.

"Oh, ho, ho, this is rich. The dyke cop who arrested me wants to adopt my kids! Well guess what… it isn't happening!"

Stef and Lena looked on as he continued his tirade. "Those are my kids, I promised their mother I'd care for them, when I get out they're coming with me!"

"All due respect, Bob, but you're going to be in here for six years. When you get out, those kids won't even know who you are. Are you really going to uproot them from the lives they'll have by then?" Lena asked.

"Listen, Lady, I don't care if they know me or not. I'll take them wherever I damn well please."

"I have to be frank, Sir," Stef interrupted, "the chances of any court ever placing those sweet children back into your care is about as likely as a snowball's chance in hell. And let me tell you, I will fight for them tooth and nail to the very end if it means they never have to go back to you."

Bob slammed his hands on the table and flew out of his seat. "Listen here, bitch, there's no way I'm letting two dykes adopt my kids." His hand flew toward Lena in an attempt to grab her.

Stef caught his hand and strong-armed him into the table. Guards drew their weapons as Stef shouted, "San Diego PD. I'm a cop!" They stormed the table, relieving Stef of having to restrain Bob.

"Are you okay, Babe?" Stef asked, turning to Lena as she regained her breath. Lena's eyes were fixated on the man before her. She calmly rose and said, "I have two questions for you Bob. The first is, do you really consider the way you were treating those children as caring for them? Do you really believe you're fulfilling a promise to their dead mother? The second question is this, do you even love them?"

Bob looked at the women as he was being carted away. Stef grabbed Lena's hand in a firm squeeze. "C'mon, let's go home to our babies," she said with a whisper. She leaned in and brought her lips to her wife's. "Yes, to our babies." Lena agreed.

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Seemingly able to read her wife's mind from the comfort of their couch, Lena shared, "He really was a piece of work, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, he was. I just wish that he wasn't dragging out this entire process."

"Babe, you said yourself that those kids are ours as long as they're here. They know they are loved."

"It's not while they're here that I'm worried about, it's when he tries to actually get them back."

Lena looked at Stef, "You and I both know that no judge would ever place those kids with him. It simply won't happen. Right now, we just need to jump through the hoops to make it all work."

"Speaking of making it all work, I talked to our two oldest kids last night. They're both going to come for Stephen's ninth birthday party next month.

"Brandon's flying all the way from Boston to be here? How can he afford that? Lena asked.

Well, Mike offered to help him out, and he's been working out there while attending school. I told him we could slip him a couple hundred bucks as well."

Lena looked at her wife. "We have mouths to feed, bills to pay, and colleges to save for, and you told him we'd give him money?" The irritation in her voice was not lost on her wife.

"I know, Love, but I want so badly for us all to be together to celebrate Stephen's birthday. The kid is going to be nine and he hasn't had an easy life. We're his family, and I want it to be special."

Lena smiled at her wife. She had the biggest heart of anyone Lena knew. "Okay, Babe, you win."

"oooh, what's my prize?" Stef said with a wink, pushing against Lena until they were lying on the couch, their fronts pressed together, with Stef on top. She began placing heated kisses upon her wife's neck when they heard their three-year-old crying as she walked down the hallway.

Stef groaned in exasperation and collapsed every muscle in her body, putting her full weight onto her wife. "I love her, I do," came a muffled voice from the couch cushion, "but if she had just napped for another twenty minutes, I would be so happy right now."

Lena laughed at her wife as she placed a kiss on her shoulder. "I know, my love, but we'll have plenty of time."

A giggle brought the women back to their current environment, and they looked over to see Katie staring at them with a smile on her face. As they disentangled themselves, Katie laughed again.

"What's so funny, Katie-bug?" Lena asked. She'd taken to calling the child be this nickname recently.

"Yeah," chimed in Stef, "you like making sure your Mamas don't get any?" she said jokingly. She knew the child didn't understand, but she still received a glare from her wife.

Katie approached the couch, and Lena pulled her up to sit with them. "What's up, kiddo?" Lena asked. Katie was a very quiet and reserved kid. Stef and Lena weren't sure if her development was delayed due to her prior treatment or if she was merely quiet. She had started responding more directly to questions from Stef and Lena, but she still seemed to open up the most to Stephen.

"I want to read book." Katie stated, pointing to the stack of children's books on the table beside them. Stef leaned over, picked up, 'The Velveteen Rabbit' and held it for Katie to see. "Is the one about the bunny okay?" Stef asked, knowing it was one of the girl's favorites.

Katie nodded enthusiastically, and Stef snuggled in to read with her.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Lena walked into the back yard where Stephen was playing with his soccer ball.

"Someone has a birthday coming up!" Lena said excitedly. "What would you like?"

Stephen stared at Lena before changing the subject. "Why are we here?"

Lena looked at the boy. "Well, Honey, your step-dad couldn't provide you with a safe and healthy environment, so you were removed from his home."

"I know that, but why are we here?" he asked again.

"Why are you here on earth? Is this a human existence question?" Lena posed.

"No, why are we here with you and Stef? Why did you bring us here?"

"Stef and I," Lena began, "we believe that there is enough love in the world to conquer all of the hate. And we believe that one way we can help love to conquer hate is by opening our hearts and our home to children in need. So, when Stef met you at her work and learned that you were going to go into a group home, she asked if we could bring you home with us instead. We fell in love with you and Katie immediately, and we knew we wanted to provide you with a safe home."

"So, you love us? And that's why you brought us home?" Stephen pressed.

Lena nodded, "Yes. We fell in love with you and wanted you to come home with us so we could care for you."

Stephen turned and faced the memorial tree that had been planted for Frankie. "Where's Frankie?" he asked.

Lena held back a tear. "Frankie is our daughter. She died about three years ago when I was pregnant with her. We planted this memorial tree because we miss her."

"Is that why you and Stef fight sometimes?"

Lena looked quizzically at Stephen. "Where did you hear-?"

"The older kids told me. They said you and Stef fought a lot. Plus, I pick up on things, I've heard you at night sometimes."

Lena nodded. "Stef and I were very broken after Frankie died. We're trying to make our way back to the light together."

"Are Katie and I replacements?"

"Oh, gosh no!" Lena hurriedly responded. "No one could ever replace Frankie, but you and Katie do bring so much joy to our lives that it makes missing Frankie just a bit more bearable.

Stephen nodded in understanding.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Classes start for me on Tuesday. Graduate School…Yay!  
I'm hoping to spend Labor Day writing, writing, writing so as to continue this story. But, once classes start I'll be MIA until May. Allow me to apologize now for my absence. Full course load, internship, a job, and mentoring will take up more than enough of my time.

If you have any suggestions for where you would like to see this story go, send a comment in. I haven't developed an ending yet and am simply writing as I am moved. So, suggestions welcome! If there's something you want to see, let me know and I'll try to make it happen!

I'm also willing to sign over guest authorship rites. If it fits into the story line and you'd like to write a chapter, you can pm it to me and I'll seriously look at placing it in. I'm a big collaborator, and many hands make light work. : )

ANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANANAN

Lena was sitting at her desk talking with a student when Stef walked in.

"James, we don't solve our problems this way," she said as she returned the ice pack to the young man's bruising and swollen cheek, "I'm glad you were defending your brother, but here at Anchor Beach we have a policy against fighting. I'm afraid I have to suspend you for three days."

"Please, Ms. Adams Foster," James responded, "I promise it won't happen again. I've been super stressed about Benny's being picked on, and my parents are separating. They think bullying is simply part of life that we need to get used to, but I want Benny to understand that the world isn't a bad place and that there are people who love him. I swear, I'll do two weeks of In-School Suspension if I don't get suspended out of school. I know my actions were wrong, and I take accountability for what I did, but if I'm stuck at home with my fighting parents, I'll go insane."

Stef watched Lena from the doorway, smiling when Lena glanced in her direction to acknowledge her existence.

"Okay," Lena began, "five days In-School. You seem to recognize the gravity of your actions, which I like to see, but I have to give you something. So, let's make the best of a bad situation. You'll report to the ISS room by first bell each morning, and you'll stay until extended period bell. If you're late, I'll have to add an additional day. And James," Lena continued, "you are a good kid and a good brother. If you ever want to talk, I'm here for you. But no more fighting!" she said with a smirk.

Lena grabbed James's hand to once again remove the ice pack. "Yeah, you're going to have a nice shiner," she said wincing. "Keep the ice pack on it, and go lay down in the nurse's office." She guided his hand to replacing the ice pack upon his cheek, gave him a pat on the knee, and nodded toward the door. James took his cue and rose to leave, "Thank you so much, Ms. Adams Foster. I promise, I won't let you down."

"See that you don't," Lena replied with a smile, "now go."

Lena turned to her wife in the doorway. "Hey Babe, what's up?"

"I want to go back to counseling." Stef replied.

"Well, you pull no punches" Lena said with a huff.

"No, I want us to go back to counseling, together."

"Why?" the brunette asked. She was under the impression that things were improving between them.

"Because things have been better, but I'm concerned that we aren't getting to the root cause of our problems. Stephen and Katie aren't the fix to our grief, but for some reason they are helping. If we aren't awarded custody and they are removed from our home, I want to be sure that we don't end up back at square one again."

Lena looked at Stef. It seemed like a logical request. "Okay, call Dr. Tomlinson and set up an appointment."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So, Lena," Dr. Tomlinson began, "why are we here today? Our previous counseling arrangements didn't seem to do the trick. Why are you back.?"

"Well actually," Stef started, answering on behalf of Lena, "things have been better for us, and we want to make sure it stays that way."

"What changed?" Dr. Tomlinson asked.

"We brought two new foster children into our home" Lena responded.

Dr. Tomlinson nodded in understanding. "I know that we began our sessions shortly after you lost a child. And I remember that there were two big issues in your marriage. First and foremost was communication. It seemed that you both put up barriers when talking to the other that made healing difficult," he paused, "and the other had to do with your sexual attraction to each other?" he asked clarifyingly.

"Well, not exactly." Stef responded. "We're still very much sexually attracted to each other, it's just that our sex ceased to exist in a certain way."

Dr. Tomlinson looked between the two women quizzically, waiting for one of them to speak.

"We stopped screwing in a hungry manner, it was all out of commitment and duty," Lena shared.

"And we've moved beyond that?" the doctor asked.

"Somewhat." Lena replied. Stef nodded.

"And you think that bringing these two kids into your home has had an impact upon your…" he paused, "creative sex life?"

"I think these kids helped us to remember some of the aspects that made us fall in love to begin with," Stef responded.

"For me," Lena cut in, "it was seeing Stef being multi-faceted all at once. She's an amazing woman, a firm but fair cop, and a loving mother. I saw her working one day, and it was absolutely phenomenal. I think one of the things I love about Stef the most is her nurturing, maternal side; she can be the tough cop or my wife who happens to be angry with me at the moment, but in an instant she can become this loving, soft, sensitive woman who cradles a child in her arms."

"And," started their therapist, "how does this relate to the issues you've been having in your marriage?"

"Well-" Lena started,

"Don't tell me," Dr. Tomlinson interrupted, "tell your wife."

Lena cleared her throat and turned to Stef. She took one of her wife's hands in her own, looked her love in her beautiful eyes, and began. "Stef. I love you so much. But we were so broken when we lost our daughter. It has been hard for me to see you as who you are, because I can't see you without thinking of the lost memories. I can't stop thinking about Frankie's midnight feedings that we're missing. I can't stop thinking about her first steps or her first words, her first giggle. Lord knows," she paused with a tear in her eye, "you would've been the one to draw her first laugh out of her. Your presence is astounding. I've been unable to see your maternal side because I can't picture it without Frankie."

Stef stared at her wife, taken aback by her words of honesty.

"And I think that seeing you being maternal with Stephen and Katie has helped me. It helped me to see that even though we don't have our little girl, we have more love to give to other little girls and boys. When I awoke to find Katie nestled into your chest, I wanted it to be our Frankie. But it can't be, and that hurts."

"Baby…" Stef whispered, drifting off in her statement.

"Let me finish, please." Lena implored. "I want you to know that my pain has caused me to wall off a part of my heart to you. I blame myself for losing Frankie. And it hurts so much that she's not here with us. But, it pains me even more that we've been prevented from healing because we can't openly communicate."

Stef squeezed Lena's hand, desiring to communicate how much she loved and admired her wife.

"Stef," Dr. Tomlinson started slowly, "what do you have to say to Lena?"

"I…" Stef began. "I…" She thought for just a moment about what she wanted to say. "Lena, I love you. And though you may blame yourself for losing Frankie, I don't. Baby, you couldn't have controlled what happened. And there's no reason for it. It's not some cosmic act by a higher being. It's not bad karma. It's our baby who couldn't come home with us. I agree, that we are missing out on memories. And although Stephen and Katie can't ever replace what our experiences would have been with Katie, I think they're helping us heal. You said yourself that you are able to see me in a different light thanks to these two kids. For me, I missed your confidence. Lena, you used to be so self-assured of who you were, you didn't take garbage from anybody. You knew what you wanted in life, and you knew how to get where you were going. Since Frankie, that spark has been lost. It's as if the loss of the baby, the inability to carry it to term, shook the entire foundation of who Lena Adams Foster is. I'm not saying that's uncharacteristic, I'm sure many women who have experienced the trauma of losing a baby begin to question their abilities, but I am saying that it has changed you. I wish I could be enough to fix your broken heart, but I can't. But I see where, somehow, the presence of these two kids in our lives has enabled you to regain some of that buried strength. I haven't spoken to you about Frankie because I wasn't sure you could handle it. You were already so broken, I feared doing more damage."

Lena stared at her wife, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't been aware of how Stef saw her in this way before.

"Stef," began Dr. Tomlinson, "what's your biggest fear regarding this issue?"

"That the court won't grant us adoption rights, that we'll backtrack from the little progress we've made, that Lena will leave me."

"And Lena?" the doctor asked.

"That Stef won't love me even when I'm broken."

Stef sighed and looked at her wife. Never could she stop loving this gorgeous woman before her. Through joy and triumph, tribulation and despair, she loved Lena. She didn't know how not to.

"Well, our time is up for today. I think we've made progress in unearthing some of the underlying issues in your marriage. I want to see you back in one month, in the meantime, I want you to try something. I've had success with this in counseling children where one parent has died and the remaining parent has remarried, it often leads to tension between the new step-parent. If either of you wish to talk openly and honestly about Frankie and or your feelings surrounding her, look to your partner and say, 'I want to talk about Frankie.' Be precise and clear when you state it. If you feel unable to speak about Frankie at that time, look at your partner and say, 'I can't talk about her right now, but I will soon.' Set a timetable for when you'll pick up the conversation, this will insure the conversation convener feels heard and respected. When you set the timetable, perform a small act to remind yourselves; it could be placing a hair tie on the bedpost, or removing your watch. Do something which will force you to recognize the needs of the other around this issue."

Stef and Lena nodded, rising from their seats.

"I'm proud of the ground you two have covered today, keep it up." Doctor Tomlinson finished.

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"Happy Birthday, Dear Stephen, Happy Birthday to You!" The family sang around Stephen, celebrating his birthday. There were a few kids from Anchor Beach who had been invited, but it was mostly a family ordeal. Brandon had made the trek home as promised, and Dana, Stuart, and Sharon also added to the lively bunch.

It came time to open presents, and everyone huddled in around the young boy. The first gift he opened had a long rectangular body and four wheels. Lena and Stef looked at Jesus fondly.

"Little Dude, I was about your age when I began boarding" He said as Stephen unwrapped the gift, "and although this board isn't new, it's the one I first started on. I had it greased up and fitted with new wheels for you, and I'd like to take you to the skate park with me someday."

Stephen looked at the skateboard, turned to his foster brother, and threw himself into Jesus's arms exclaiming, "I love it!"  
In the time that the kids had been with the Fosters, Stephen had come out of his tough exterior shell and had become, in a way, a typical boy. He spoke more freely, he joked kindly, and he wasn't as rough on the outside. They saw the light shine in his eyes.

"Open mine next!" said Callie. She handed Stephen a giftwrapped box, it was about the size of a shoe box.

Stephen opened the box, and within it was another box. He looked at Callie, raising an eyebrow.

"Keep going!" she said.

He opened the second box only to reveal a third, a third box to reveal a fourth, and a fourth to reveal a fifth. The fifth box was a small wooden box with a latch on it. Engraved in the top were the words, "Enough to go Around" with a depiction of the world painted on it. Stephen again looked at Callie, who only nodded her head for him to proceed.

Stephen opened the box to find a set of two keys. Inlaid in the top of the box was a picture of the family that had been taken a few years prior at Stef and Lena's wedding.

"The purple key opens my room at school. If you ever want to come and stay with me for a weekend, I would love to have you. The rainbow key," Callie continued, "opens the door to this house. You'll be needing it as you get older."

Stephen looked at his family and grinned.

Stef and Lena looked at their daughter, smiles and tears of joy filling their faces. They turned to each other and leaned forward, resting their foreheads together as they cupped each other's face. They had some truly phenomenal kids, there was no doubt about that.

As the opening of presents continued, each child gave an equally meaningful and heartfelt gift. It was as though they were very purposeful in showing Stephen that he was a part of this family, wholly and completely.

As the party drew to a close, Stephen asked for one more present. "Can I have a picture of us all?"

Stef and Lena nodded enthusiastically.

Dana and Sharon started the process of arranging the family for the photo while Stuart stood by with the camera.

"No, Jesus, you're too tall, into the back, my grandson!" Dana shouted.

"Mariana and Jude, smoosh in closer. At least look like you like the others." Sharon shared.

Once all had been arranged, Stuart snapped the photo.

Brandon stood to the far left in the back, his arms in front of him around Stephen's neck in a hug.

Jude, now as tall as Brandon, stood to Brandon's left with his hands atop Mariana's head as she stood in front of him.

Lena stood to the left of Jude, her arm draped to meet Stef's shoulder on her left.

Stef, on Lena's left, stood facing her wife with Katie in her arms, effectively sandwiching the girl between the two women.

Jesus stood on the other side of Lena, his elbow propped up to rest on Callie's should as she stood beside him.

Their first photo as a family of nine.


	8. Chapter 7

"What are you saying, Kevin?" Lena asked.

"I'm saying that Judge Ellis is not going to let this be an easy, slam-dunk decision." Their lawyer replied.

"Which means…?" Stef responded.

Kevin looked at them and sighed as he took his briefcase into his hand. "Walk with me and we'll talk."

As Lena and Stef followed Kevin out of his office and across the street to the County Courthouse, he leveled with them. "Ellis isn't known as being a compassionate judge regarding children's security. He's not necessarily anti-mother, but he is definitely a judge who shies away from revoking a father's parental rights. He himself had to fight hard to keep custody of his kids after he and his wife split up, so he often uses every last tactic before terminating a parent's rights."

"We aren't going to lose Stephen and Katie, are we?" Stef asked.

"Listen," Kevin said as he spun to face them on the courthouse steps, "we're a long way from you two losing those kids. But we aren't going to have the results we want immediately or easily."

"So what do we do?" Lena asked, a hand raised to shield her eyes from the mid-day sun.

"You have to prove that your home can provide the better environment for these kids than Mr. Young's home."

"That shouldn't be too hard," Stef interjected, "Mr. Young is currently serving a six year sentence for, among other things, endangering and abusing those kids."

"It's not that simple, Stef," Kevin said with a shake of the head, "there are programs set up in prison to rehabilitate offenders into being good parents. Parenting classes, anger management, Alcoholics Anonymous, these all combine into a program which is designed to help incarcerated individuals regain custody of or exposure to their kids upon release."

"But that's probably for non-violent offenders?" Lena asked.

Again Kevin shook his head, "it's open to anybody in the system."

"So, where do we go from here?" Lena asked.

"Well, the judge is going to want to talk to Mr. Young's prison counselor about Young's behavior in prison; has he been in fights… has he been participatory in community requirements… that sort of thing, he'll want progress reports from the program, and he'll want to speak with Mr. Young periodically."

"If he likes what he sees, will Young's rights be upheld?" Stef asked.

"Not necessarily. I have some interns in my office who are doing some digging. Apparently, this rehabilitation program has a questionable success rate. Even if Ellis does like what he sees from Young, he'll also have to consider some pretty damning evidence from our side." Kevin paused for just a moment, "Try not to worry. I know that's easier said than done, but worrying only causes wrinkles and it won't change the circumstances."

With their conversation done, the three continued into the courthouse for their family hearing.

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"Docket 15483, Mrs. Stefanie Adams Foster and Mrs. Lena Adams Foster versus Mr. Robert Young regarding custody of and parental rights for children Stephen Bradley and Katie Bradley. Judge Ellis presiding," the bailiff called, "silence, please."

Judge Ellis sat on the bench, glasses perched delicately on the end of his nose. His dark hair was slightly graying, revealing his middle-age life. Stef and Lena sat in the courtroom, both tense with anxiety as they waited for the court to proceed.

"Let's get started." Ellis stated.

"Your Honor," Kevin began," my clients Stefanie and Lena Adams Foster have had custody of Mr. Robert Young's children since he was arrested and subsequently sentenced to prison. Mrs. Adams Fosters at this time wish to formally adopt the two children, Stephen Bradley and Katie Bradley, and make them a permanent fixture in their lives."

"What do these two women do professionally?" Judge Ellis asked.

"Stefanie Adams Foster is a police officer with the San Diego Police Department. Lena Adams Foster is the Vice Principal at Anchor Beach Community Charter School," Kevin replied.  
Judge Ellis looked hard at Stef, wondering if she had ever appeared in his court before. If she had, he would have to recuse himself.

The court proceeded just as Kevin had warned Stef and Lena it would. Judge Ellis wanted records from the prison before making his decision. A new court date was set for a month from then.

"This is good," Kevin reassured them, "we'll have all our ducks in a row by that time to bring into question the effectiveness of the program."

Stef and Lena nodded, a bit stunned, and followed Kevin to the sidewalk.

"I don't want you to worry," he said, "we're a long way from this being over. Keep doing what you're doing and all will be fine."

Again Stef and Lena nodded. As they walked hand in hand toward the car, their minds raced with concerns regarding the kids.

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"I brought ice cream!" Stef yelled as she entered Lena's office. It had been two weeks since the initial court date, and they were trying everything they could to distract themselves from their fears.

"Okay, thanks, Timothy," Lena said, hanging up the phone and turning to her wife. They had taken to having lunch together whenever possible. "Babe, did you bring anything besides ice cream?"

Stef looked at the pint of vanilla ice cream in her hand. "Yes! Two spoons, some chocolate syrup, some whipped cream, and some cherries!" She said with a smile.

Lena giggled as she leaned back in her chair, laughing at her wife's antics.

"Okay, fine, ice cream for lunch, but it has to be quick. I have a lot to do. Give me just one minute to check my email and I'll be right with you."

As Lena checked her email, she missed witnessing Stef walk over and lock both doors to her office.

"Okay, all yours," Lena stated, turning to face her wife.

Stef opened the ice cream and scooped it into a bowl, adding the additional items as she went. "How was your morning?" she asked Lena.

"Oh, typical morning. I had a staff meeting followed by a disciplinary hearing for some students, then I had a parent meeting, and finally I administered and entrance test. I just got off the phone with Timothy, apparently when we ordered the kindle paperweights we didn't order enough. It's just, a day." Lena sat in her chair, her legs crossed and her arms resting upon the armrests of her chair, her hands dangling at the ends.

"Oh, Baby. Sounds like a rough morning! Thankfully we have ice cream to make it better!" Stef said, spooning a bit into her wife's mouth.

"And how was your morning, Officer Adams Foster?" Lena asked.

"Oh, you know, stopping crime all the time!" the blonde stated. "Really, I pushed paperwork all morning. Case files needing completion, stuff like that."

Lena smiled as she took another bite of ice cream off the shared spoon. She closed her eyes, "mmm, delectable," she said as she savored the flavor.

"Oh, you have some chocolate sauce…" Stef said, pointing to the corner of her mouth. Lena wiped the wrong side, and looked at Stef.

"Did I get it?"

"No, let me," Stef responded, leaning forward to trap her wife's lips, and the chocolate sauce, in her mouth. Leaning back she said, "There. All gone."

A playful smile played across Lena's face.

"What?" Stef asked. Before Stef could blink, Lena had swiped a finger into the ice cream and wiped it across Stef's face, laughing hysterically.

"Lena!" Stef yelled, "You wait!" Stef sprayed a handful of whipped cream into her hand before smashing it into her wife's face.

"Oh, ho ho! You're going down!" Lena proclaimed.

Soon, an all-out ice cream slathering war had begun. When both women's heads and hands were covered in a gooey mess, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"You… You…" Stef started, laughing, "You have it in your ear!" She approached her wife with a napkin and removed the mess from Lena's ear.

"You've got some in your hair," Lena said, wiping her hand through her wife's blonde locks to get it out. For a moment they stared at each other, seemingly unsure of what to do next. In an instant they crashed into each other, tongues and teeth mashing together, hands groping.

"What. The. Hell. Are. We. Doing?" Lena asked between fevered kisses.

"Justgowithit" Stef spat out in one breath.

"Wait, I need to-" Lena started.

"I already did." Stef didn't need to hear what Lena was going to say to know what she meant.

Lena nodded before returning her lips to her wife's.

"Do I still have a spare uniform shirt in your closet?" Stef asked, her voice already husky and her breathing heavy.

"Mhm." Lena nodded.

Suddenly, Lena spun Stef around and steered her to the back wall of her office. Pressing her up against the wall and pinning her there, Lena grabbed the chocolate syrup, glared at Stef hungrily, and began unbuttoning the police officer's black shirt. After mere seconds, Stef stood before Lena topless except for her bra. Lena turned the chocolate sauce over and began pouring small dollops into Stef's chest. Slowly, languidly, she licked one up Stef's collar bone. She licked that small drop of chocolate up to where it could almost pool in the recess below Stef's neck. She slowly licked another dollop up and around to Stef's ear, taking her earlobe in her mouth and breathing into her ear. A third dollop was slowly trailing its way down Stef's chest. Almost perfectly centered, it threatened to travel right between Stef's heaving breasts, making a home for itself in her ample cleavage. Stef moaned at the sensation of the chocolate slowly traveling down her chest. It tickled, but it also awoke her senses. Lena dipped her tongue, and following the chocolate trail, pressed her tongue into her wife's cleavage, pulling her tongue back up to reveal some chocolate sauce in the tip.

"I want this off," Lena said, gesturing for the bra.

Stef brought her hand behind her back, unclasped the bra, and allowed it to fall aimlessly to her feet.

"Much, much better," Lena said, "and now this."

Lena took the chocolate sauce and ran the nozzle of the bottle around Stef's nipples, leaving a runny mess on each one. The sauce dripped from the tips of her pert nipples to leave little brown drops on the floor, but neither seemed to care.

Lena brought her tongue to each breast, starting first by nipping the underside of each before moving to bring a chocolate covered nipple into her mouth. As she used the tip of her tongue to flick the hardened nub, she took cues from Stef's moaning to continue.

"Pants off. Sofa" were the next words from Lena's lips. Stef quickly removed her pants and led Lena by the hand over to the sofa.

"Lay down." Lena directed.

Stef did as she was told, and Lena placed some chocolate sauce in her wife's navel, sporadically over the stomach, and then down along the top of her underwear.

Lena knelt next to Stef and began slowly licking the chocolate spots. With each spot, she would quickly give her wife a kiss to share the taste of the sweetness.

"These. Off." Lena said, lightly snapping the elastic of her wife's panties against her skin.

Stef gasped in excitement and removed the offending garment.

"Good. Now relax. Close your eyes. Enjoy the sensations. But whatever you do, don't scream"

Stef closed her eyes, and she felt the wetness of chocolate sauce as it was applied to her abdomen, hip bones, and pubic region. Lena first bit Stef's hips lightly, removing the bits of sauce there. She then brought one long swipe of her tongue across Stef's abdomen. Finally, she licked the crease where Stef's legs joined her hips.

"Keep those eyes closed my dear," Lena whispered, "I want to try one more thing."

Stef felt a cool, wet sensation on her clitoris, it could only be what she assumed to be chocolate sauce. The sauce dribbled down from its starting point, mingling into her folds. Just as she had adjusted to feeling the sauce drip lower toward her back, she felt a warm, wet, hardened muscle swipe up her core. Stef moaned.

"Shhh, shh," my love, "don't get us into trouble."

Again, Lena swiped her tongue up Stef's folds. The tangy taste of her wife's wet secretions mixed with the sweetness of the chocolate sauce were better than any food she had ever tasted, she simply could not get enough. Lena added another drop of chocolate to Stef's now hardened clitoris, watched it drip as she blew warm air to tease her wife, and then swiped her tongue over it all.

With Stef now extremely aroused, Lena decided to waste no time. In a flash she pushed three fingers deep into her wife, curling them inside her to hit that oh-so-special spot. Lena pumped her hand in and out of Stef's opening in rapid succession. Stef bucked against her wife's fingers hard, aching for release. She knew she needed more to be brought over the edge.

"Lena- Lena-" Stef began in a whisper, "I want your tongue too."

Lena bent over her wife and, while continuing to pump her fingers deep into her core, began rubbing small circles over her wife's clitoris with her tongue.

"Yes, oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Stef whispered under labored breath. "Keep going. Don't stop. Close."

Lena could tell how close her wife was, so she switched from a circular motion with her tongue to a rapid flicking. It only took another thirty seconds for Lena to feel that familiar sensation of her wife's center contracting. Lena felt her fingers being pulled deeper into her wife as the waves crested.

Stef's body jerked in spasm. She bit her tongue to keep from screaming. She squeezed her eyes to ride out as much of this bliss as possible.

Lena sat back on the floor, catching her breath. Stef lay prone on the sofa, seemingly unable to move.

Out of nowhere, Lena's phone chirped. Stef looked at her quizzically as Lena rose to check it.

"Oh My God. You have to go! Potter is on her way in here for a meeting. She'll be here in three minutes. You have to get your things and get out! I never intended for lunch to take this long. And she's been on a tear lately about people's spouses visiting them at work. Babe, I'm sorry, but you've got to go."

Stef looked at Lena bewilderedly. "How about we quickly get your office cleaned up, and then I'll go."

As Stef dressed quickly enough to set a new record, Lena began wiping ice cream smears off her desk and cabinets. She threw the melted bowl of mess in the trash and began preparing the throw the remaining items back into the grocery bag Stef brought them in. There was a knock at the door. Lena and Stef froze. There was no way out.

"Lena?" Potter hollered through the door, "Are you okay? Our meeting is scheduled for now. Why is your door locked?"

Lena looked at Stef, a pleading look on her face, and walked slowly toward the door.

"Yes, Principal Potter, right away." She turned the bolt lock, opened the door, and welcomed her boss into her office. Fully expecting to be reamed out for Stef's presence, Lena began to speak. "Principal Potter, I want to apologize for my wife stopping for lunch today-" Lena turned to face into her office, but Stef was gone. Principal Potter looked at Lena, waiting for more information. "But, uh, we, uh, had to talk about the adoption case regarding our foster children."

"Oh, Lena, you don't need to apologize for that. I understand how family stuff comes up," the principal said as she walked further into the room, she eyed the trash in the garbage can, "but maybe next time your wife should bring a healthier lunch for you."

Lena grinned and bit her lip. If only her boss knew about the lunch she'd just had. As she walked around the desk and prepared to sit, she noticed five fingers protruding from underneath. Oh no! Stef had hidden under her desk. She lifted her face to look at Principal Potter, a look of sheer terror plainly written.

"Are you okay, Lena?" Potter asked.

"You know, maybe you were right. Too much sugar at lunch."

"Well, let's make this quick so that you can return to work."

Stef had never been quite so happy to see her wife in a skirt. From where she sat, she had plain view of her wife's very, very, very visibly moist panties. She suddenly got a very naughty idea in her head, and before she knew what was happening, she was opening the ice cream and spooning out the cold, wet concoction.

Stef began kissing up Lena's thigh, silently of course, as she worked her way up to the apex of Lena's legs. She felt a swat on her head as Lena tried to push her skirt back down. 'I think she doth protest too much,' Stef thought to herself. She wants this, but she can't relax with Potter in the room. Undeterred, Stef continued placing kisses as far as her head could go while still remaining unseen by the principal.

Next, Stef took a cold spoonful of ice cream and placed it on her wife's thigh.

"So as I was say-" Lena's voice stopped at the sensation of the cold ice cream. 'Not cool, Stef!' she thought. She cleared her throat. "As I was saying, the programming at Anchor Beach has bounced back considerably from our budget slash a few years ago, but we're still in need of more tutoring programs.

Below the desk, Stef wiped another spoonful of ice cream the length of Lena's inner thigh. She started nipping as she licked up the melting liquid, thoroughly enjoying the torture she brought to her wife.

Lena cleared her throat, shifted in her seat, and rolled her chair forward as far as it would go. She adjusted yet again to bring her ass to the end of the seat, and spread her legs. She tried valiantly to listen to Potter, but she knew it was no use.

Stef grabbed Lena's panties right from the small piece covering her center and began sliding them down her legs. It was the quickest removal she could think of. She grabbed the spoon from the container of ice cream, quickly licked it to remove most of the liquid mess, and pressed the very cold implement against her wife's clitoris.

Lena grabbed a pen from the top of her desk and gripped it in her hand. She was thankful that she didn't have to try to speak at the moment.

Stef continued licking and nipping at Lena's thighs. She grabbed a spoonful of ice cream, and smeared it onto her wife's clitoris. Although being much colder, it provided a great understanding of what Stef had just experienced with the chocolate sauce. Stef waited for the liquid to drip into her wife's core where it mixed with her already growing wetness. She brought her tongue to the moist center and licked a straight shot up to her wife's clitoris.

Lena snapped the pen in her hand and quickly grabbed another. Principal Potter looked questioningly at Lena, but continued her impassioned speech. Stef licked her wife's swollen lips again, Lena snapped another pen.

"Lena, are you okay?" Potter asked. "You're breaking pens, expensive pens."

"I'm sorry, perhaps I'm just not feeling well." Lena responded.

"Well, I'll only be a few more minutes. Why don't you go home after this."

Stef grabbed a cherry from the container beside her. She brought the cherry to her wife's swollen nub and began pleasuring her with it. Stef would spin her wife's clitoris a few times, eat the cherry, and lick the hardened, hooded nub before reaching for another cherry and repeating the process. Stef inserted three fingers into her wife's center. Lena placed her hands flat upon the desk and applied force, her knuckles and fingertips turning white from the pressure.

Stef began pumping into her wife slowly. She didn't want to cause Potter to become aware of her presence, and too much force would rock the chair and do just that. So Stef slowly and cautiously pumped her fingers into her wife. Her pace quickened with time, but the force of her thrusts did not. Lena took in a big breath. She didn't know how much longer she could last, and she did not want to cum in front of her boss. Stef's pace quickened ever so slightly, and she added some ice cream to the final cherry. With the added sensation of the ice cream to the cherry, coupled with her wife's thrusts and nips, Lena careened over the edge. Principal Potter was pacing the floor mid rant, seemingly unaware of the tensing of her employee's body. Lena pushed firmly against the desk top, then moved her hands to the edge and gripped the side, her knuckles turning white. She closed her eyes, flashes of white in every wave.

"Lena," Potter said, "You can go home now."

Potter turned and walked from the office, thereby enabling Stef to come out of hiding.

"Holy Fuck!" Lena stated. "That was mind blowing!"

"And to think," Stef began, "we have more ice cream left.


	9. Chapter 8

"There's a chocolate stain on my blouse!," Lena proclaimed.

"Worth it!" Stef hollered as she left the room. They were preparing for another therapy session with Dr. Tomlinson.

Lena chuckled, remembering their adventures with the ice cream last week. Had she noticed the chocolate sauce sooner, she would have treated the spot to ensure it lifted from the material. At this point, however, the blouse was now a lost cause.

Stef walked down stairs as she finished putting in an earring. Jesus and Jude were at the table in the kitchen eating lunch. It was a Thursday afternoon, but school had let out early for parent-teacher conferences.

"Mom," Jesus spoke, "Why aren't you going to school to meet with our teachers?"

"We are, baby, but we have our therapy session first. Mama and I are going after."

Jesus looked at his brother, a panicked expression on his face.

"What?" Stef began, "you didn't think we would forget to go to school and hear about all the great things you're doing, did you?" she said with a smirk as she kissed her son on the cheek. "Mama and I can't wait to hear about your academic successes!"

Stef turned and looked at Jude who giggled at his mother.

Stephen entered the kitchen and hopped up next to Jesus. "Stef," he began, "Can my friend David come over and play? His parents aren't home, and his older sister is mean to him. Can he come here and we can play video games?"

Stef looked to Jesus, "Is it okay with you, buddy? You and Mariana are in charge."

"Sure. Mariana can keep an eye on them." Jesus replied.

Stef rolled her eyes.

"Keep an eye on who?" Mariana asked, entering from the backyard.

"My friend David and I. Please! His sister is mean to him and his parents won't be home until after work. I promise we won't be a problem. You won't even know we're here!" Stephen implored.

"Woah! Woah, calm down, Stevie. You remind me of Judicorn when he was younger. Of course you can have David over, it won't be a problem. I'll make you a snack and everything."

Stef beamed at her daughter, exceptionally proud of the responsible person she has become. After Zack had moved in with his dad for a bit but found the arrangement unappealing, he had moved back to San Diego and through various social service programs had hired caretakers for his mother. Mariana had spent a good amount of time with her best friend, and Stef could only assume this was where her newfound level of responsibility was coming from.

"Okay," Lena hollered quickly descending the stairs, "kids, be good. Mom and I will be back after meeting with your teachers. Don't burn the house down. We'll only be the afternoon, so you don't have time for a party." Both women laughed; that joke never got old. "Don't forget to keep an eye on Katie. She's napping in our bed right now. Don't let her sleep past two o'clock of she won't sleep well tonight." Lena grabbed her purse as Stef grabbed the car keys from the dish.

"Oh, honey," the brunette started, "I'll drive."

"Yeah, okay!" Stef said with a scoff.

"Seriously. I thought I would drive because then I can get us from the Dr. Tomlinson's to the school."

"Lena, I know how to get to Anchor Beach from downtown. I drive these streets everyday on patrol."

"Precisely, which is why you should let me drive. You spend all day driving and doing paperwork, let me do this for you." Lena said with a slightly pouting face.

"If you can get the keys from me, you can drive." The blonde said confidently.

A smirk lit across Lena's face. She dropped her purse, sauntered toward her wife, and began unbuttoning her blouse. In one swift motion she backed her wife against their door, placed her wife's one empty hand upon her exposed chest, and took an earlobe into her mouth. While Stef was distracted, Lena used a hand to reach up and pull the keys from her lover's now loosened grip. "I win," she said with a flirty raising of her eyebrows as she rebuttoned her top, grabbed her purse, and tried to open the door. Stef, too stunned to move, remained in her position blocking the exit.

"Babe," Lena whispered, "we have to go or we're going to be late. C'mere." She grabbed her wife's hand and gently guided her away from the door, opened it, and walked them both in the direction of the car.

After they had entered the vehicle, buckled up, and Lena had started the car, Stef said while staring out the front window, "you cheated."

Lena smirked as she put the car in reverse and began backing out the driveway.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So, Stef and Lena, how have things been?"

"Better," Lena begins. "I feel like we're communicating more, and I feel like we're able to truly talk about and connect severely on topics that are bothering us."

"Stef?" Dr. Tomlinson asked, encouraging the blonde to speak up.

"Yeah, Lena's right. We've been connecting better emotionally as well as physically. There were a few times where we had to table a conversation for another time due to emotions or the kids, but we've also the time to help ourselves be better parents to the kids. When we lost Frankie, we weren't able to mourn in ways that we needed, we had five other kids to care for. I remember crying on the bathroom floor when the house was empty and Lena was chaperoning the seventh grade camping trip. It was the first instant that I truly felt free enough to miss my baby. And we talked about that, about how we needed to have time and space to mourn, but that it's been hard with kids because they need us a lot."

"And we've begun the process of adopting Stephen and Katie." Lena added. "We love them so much and we want to be the place where they return for family holidays, where they have their fondest memories, where they are challenged to be the best people that they can become. They bring us so much joy and pride, we're having a hard time imagining our lives without them."

Dr. Tomlinson looked at the two women carefully. "Tell me about the latest disagreement you had and how you solved it."

'Well, on the way out the door," Lena began.

"I don't think Dr. Tomlinson was referring to our small disagreement over who was to drive here. I would guess that he is looking for something a little more substantial." Stef interrupted.

Lena looked at Stef. "Perhaps your interrupting me is our latest argument," Lena retorted.

Stef stared at her hands. She didn't want to poke the bear that was her angry wife, and she felt sitting silently was a safer option for the both of them.

"Stef," Dr. Tomlinson said, "tell me about the argument over who was driving."

Stef looked at her wife, and then at the doctor before beginning. "We both wanted to drive. We couldn't agree in who should do so."

"And how did you solve the problem?"

"I said that if Lena could get the keys away from me, she could drive."

"And did she?"

Stef nodded.

"Are you angry that she was able to get the keys from you?" Dr. Tomlinson asked.

Stef looked at the doctor before responding, "No."

"And how did she get the keys from you?" Dr. Tomlinson asked.

"She unbuttoned her blouse, pushed me up against the door, placed my hand upon her exposed chest, and brought one of my earlobes into her mouth. While I was distracted, she grabbed the keys."

"And why do you think I wouldn't want to hear about this?" Dr. Tomlinson asked.

"Because it wasn't a major disagreement. She solved it by tricking me. We didn't work through some hard hitting emotional stuff with words. We disagreed on who should drive, she tricked me, and then she got the keys."

"Stef, are you mad that Lena used sex to get what she wanted from you? Do you think you were manipulated?"

"No, I'm not mad. I don't really care that she did it, or that she drove. I guess by definition I was manipulated, but it doesn't worry me."

"Why not?" the doctor asked.

"Because I know that when it comes to the serious stuff, the big issues of life that we need to talk through, Lena's not simply going to pull her clothes off, have her way with me, and manipulate me into agreeing with her. She has too much integrity for that. We talk about the serious stuff. We always have. Lena would never use sex to get what she wanted from me. Sure, 'manipulation'" Stef said with air quotes. "has a place, but Lena would never abuse it."

"Why do you say manipulation as if you don't recognize its existence?" Dr. Tomlinson asked.

"Because when it comes to my life with Lena, she can't manipulate me unless I'm willing to be manipulated. Today is a prime example. She used sex to get the keys. If it was really important to me that I drive, I would have been the one driving today. It wasn't that big of a deal, so I let it go. Lena is not a manipulator. She is a gifted woman with deep convictions and a wonderfully sensuous nature. She knows when she can 'manipulate' me and when she can't. And let's be honest, 'manipulation' with sex is fun for the both of us."

"Lena," Dr. Tomlinson said turning to the brunette, "I want to switch gears away from this discussion of manipulation, mainly because it seems your actions are not a concern to Stef and she trusts you implicitly. What was the last significant disagreement that you had, which required talking to solve, and how did it end?"

"Well," Lena began, "we're in the process of becoming a family of nine with children ranging in age from twenty to three. We aren't millionaires, two of our kids are already in college, two more will be heading that way in the fall, and another will be following closely behind. Money is an issue in our house. When I quit my job to defend Jude, Stef was angry with me, and I can't blame her. I made a unilateral decision which impacted everyone in our family of seven at the time. Thankfully, I took some time off and then went back to my job. Though they had been looking to fill it in my six-month absence, they had unsuccessfully done so and I was able to step back in. But now, even with the two oldest out of the house, finances are tighter than ever. We always say that there's enough to go around, but the truth is that money is becoming tight. Stef has the opportunity to become a detective. It would mean longer hours for her, but she would spend more time at a desk than on the streets, and her pay would increase enough that we can be more financially solid."

"Where's the disagreement?" Doctor Tomlinson asked.

"I don't want to become a detective and spend less time on the streets." Stef responded. "I love my job, even the dangers that come with it. But being on the streets is where I feel myself doing the most good. Apprehending the criminals, comforting the frightened child, patrolling the streets, that's where I belong."

"And you would do less of this as a detective?"

"In a way, yes. As a detective, I would investigate strings of crimes more strongly, I'd look for connections between cases which can help to crack unsolved crimes. I'd be at a desk more than on the street. But it's not merely that which scares me."

"Go on," the doctor prompted.

"The opening in Stef's precinct for a detective is in the sexual crimes unit. She'd be closely involved with investigation and capturing rapists, pedophiles, sexual abusers, and the like whenever a beat cop encounters such a case in the city," Lena shared, "and though she would pull slightly longer hours, she can still make a difference."

"Has this issue been resolved between you two yet?" Dr. Tomlinson asked. Both women shook their heads in negation.

"Stef," he began, "is there a reason you don't want this detective position?"

"There are eight. Their names are Lena, Brandon, Callie, Jesus, Mariana, Jude, Stephen, and Katie. Being a detective isn't the problem, but being a sex crimes detective is." Stef turned to Lena, "Baby, remember when we had Dani arrested for Statutory Rape of Brandon? Do you remember taking him to the police station and his having to graphically detail to the detectives what happened?" Lena nodded her head. Stef continued, "I would have to hear such graphic information every day. I'd have to listen as children tell me about being molested. I'd have to hear cases of rape. I'd have to arrest criminals who have done horribly inhumane things to other people. And I won't be able to make it through a case without imagining you or one of our kids as a victim. And that will make me want to kill that offender."

"You never shared this with me," Lena whispered.

"Being a sex crimes detective changes people, and it's not for the better. Although in general detectives have a lower divorce rate than beat cops, sex crimes detectives are much higher. Such detectives can become violent, closed off from loved ones, unbearable to live with, unable to transition from work time to home and family time, and can suffer from PTSD when in sexual situations with their own partner. I don't want that for us. I'm not opposed to becoming a detective to make more money, I know I can still have a positive impact on the world, but I won't do it at the risk of my family."

Lena looked at Stef, a tear in her eye. "I understand" she whispered, her voice breaking. "We'll figure something else out."

Dr. Tomlinson looked at his watch briefly. "I feel like we've made great progress today, Stef and Lena. It's 3:30, and we're well over our time limit for today. I'm afraid I have to take my next client, but I hope you'll continue this conversation at home. It's clear that communication is improving between the two of you. Keep up the good work."

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Stef removed an elbow from the center of her back and rolled over. Facing the center of the bed, she could see that Lena was wide awake as well, a foot having just flown into her chest.

"I thought Mariana said that she woke Katie up," Lena said in a whisper, removing the foot from her chest and sliding closer to the edge of the bed."

"That's what she said," Stef softly replied, "but as we can see, Katie is pretty well attacking us tonight."

"I thought co-sleeping would be different." Lena replied.

"Do you not remember Brandon when we would have him in here? Or the twins? They all did this stuff. The only benefit of co-sleeping with a newborn is that their elbows aren't as pointy," Stef shared as she removed another of Katie's jabs into her ribs.

Lena giggled. "It's true I guess. Perhaps we can sleep in late in the morning since the kids are off school. We'll make them watch Katie as punishment."

"We can't." Stef replied, "Although I like the way you think. Mariana's going to hang out with Mat in the morning." Lena looked at Stef quizzically.

"That's back on?"

"I guess," Stef replied, "And Jesus is with Jessie. Jude and Connor are taking Stephen and David to the arcade, so-"

"It's just us and the baby girl.." Lena said with a smile. "Perfect."

"What would be perfect is if Jesus and Jessie actually studied like they said they would. You heard Jesus's teachers, he needs to sharpen it up before graduation to keep his average up. He's been goofing off in Timothy's class a bit, and we might need to drop the hammer."

Lena sighed and removed baby toes from her hip, "I know. But he's growing up and making his own decisions. All we can do is talk to him."

"Or ground him" Stef replied with a laugh.

"Now, baby," Lena said with a wink, "do we really want him confined to the home more often than is absolutely necessary?"

Stef laughed next to Lena, causing the little girl between them to stir, open her eyes, and cry.

"Quick! Grab her and readjust, maybe we can get some sleep!" Lena whispered.

Stef grabbed Katie, laid her straight in the middle between them, and wrapped her arm over the child. Lena scooted in closer, rolled to her side, and put her arm over top Stef's, effectively capturing the child in a safe embrace from both women.

As Katie drifted off to sleep, the women stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	10. Chapter 9

Stef and Lena sat in their kitchen listening the Kevin go over the latest results of the adoption case for Stephen and Katie. It was a Monday morning, and the kids were all at school or daycare. Both women had taken the morning off.

"So, Judge Ellis has determined that he would like for Mr. Young to have more time to prove his capabilities as a father. The report from the prison counselor suggested that Mr. Young was not actively participating in community events as much as he should have been, but he hasn't been in any fights and has effectively kept out of trouble."

"And what about the director of the rehabilitation program?" Lena asked, "What did she say?"

"It's co-led by three individuals, a male and two females. And they report that Mr. Young has been participating, though no great strides have been made which would lead them to believe the children would be safe in his care."

"So what does this mean?" Stef asked.  
"It means that our court date had been pushed back another month, unfortunately."

Stef and Lena looked at each other, disappointment clearly written on their faces.

"I'm so sorry, but this isn't over. I have good news." Kevin stated. "My interns did a great job uncovering some data, I want to share the news with you. In all cases where people have gone through the same rehabilitation program Mr. Young is going through, only fifteen percent have actually been successful post-program in maintaining healthy parenting techniques. Eighty-five percent have gone on to re-offend in some way or another in abusing their children. It's obviously not good that these children are being abused again, but it definitely points to a serious breakdown in the success of the program. They boast good numbers in that ninety-five percent of incarcerated individuals who are eligible and complete the program do indeed regain custody of or contact with their children, but very few actually live productive lives as caregivers. The information my interns gathered breaks down the crimes based upon a few categories, and it also takes into account race, age, and gender of the offender as well as whether there is another caregiver actively in the home and what their position was at the time of the original offense. Single men have a higher re-offense rate than men who have a partner. And men who were in the same criminal category as Mr. Young, had a high rate of progressing on to violent acts of a sexual nature."

Stef and Lena stared at Kevin, Stef was the first to speak. "So, if by chance the Judge does place Stephen and Katie back with Mr. Young, there is a chance he could begin sexually assaulting them?"

Kevin pursed his lips and nodded slightly. Lena grabbed Stef's hand in a tight grip. The women looked at each other, their hearts breaking over what could happen to these two wonderful kids.

"Listen," Kevin said, "don't count your chickens before they've hatched. I'm telling you that it's very unlikely that Mr. Young will be granted custody. Even if Judge Ellis does award custody to him, the children won't go with him until he's released from prison, and we have nearly six years before that happens. If Judge Ellis awards custody to Mr. Young, which I don't think he will do because it also happens to be an election year and doing so would kill his chances of re-election, we'll appeal. And we'll continue appealing until these kids are safely, securely, and permanently in your home." Kevin smiled reassuringly at the women and placed a hand atop theirs. "Don't give up. Just love those babies and let me do my job as your lawyer."

Stef and Lena nodded. Kevin stooped to grab his briefcase.

"I'll walk you out," Stef said.

She looked at Lena and nodded as she turned to walk Kevin to the door. As soon as she had closed the door she felt her wife's arms wrap around her waist from behind. "Hello, Love," she said, leaning back into her wife's embrace.

"I wish we'd known Kevin when we were trying to get pregnant. He would have been a good donor."

Stef chuckled as she turned to embrace her wife in a hug. "He certainly would have," she agreed.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Mariana snuck home late. Her moms thought she was with one of the girls on the dance team, but she had been with Mat. Her plan was to make it upstairs and to bed before her moms heard her.

"Freeze!" Stef yelled from the living room. Lena awoke, lying on the couch next to where her wife sat. "Where the hell have you been?"

"I was with Tia. We were hanging out and doing homework."

"And why, then, are you coming home at two-thirty in the morning?!" Stef asked. "You know when curfew is!"

Mariana looked at the floor, unwilling to look her Mom in the face.

"Mariana," Lena began, "we want the truth, and we want it now."

"Sit, Miss Thing." Stef said, pointing to the chair beside them.

Mariana walked over and sat down in the chair.

"Where were you?" Stef asked.

Mariana stared at the floor in silence.

"I promise you this will go a lot smoother for you if you start talking right now, miss. You're in no position to withhold information!" Stef stated.

"Babe, please calm down," Lena sated, "we'll get this solved, but we can't wake the other kids."

All three sat in silence, Lena with a calming hand wresting on Stef's thigh. Stef sat leaning forward, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands clasped before her.

"Mariana, you need to start talking," the blonde said calmly, "where were you and why are you coming home like this?"

"I was with Mat." Mariana responded.

"And what were you and Mat doing?" Stef asked.

Mariana looked at her mother with a knowing glance. Both Stef and Lena dropped their heads slightly.

"Did you use protection?" Lena asked.

Mariana nodded.

Stef sighed, rubbing her face vigorously with her hands before running them to her hair and returning them to their folded position in front of her. "Didn't you and Mat just start seeing each other again?" she asked.

Mariana nodded.

"And you decided to have sex with him?" Stef asked.

Again, Mariana nodded.

"And judging by the fact that you lied to us, you felt we wouldn't approve." Stef stated matter-of-factly.

Mariana shook her head, indicating that she knew her moms wouldn't approve of her having sex with Mat.

"And why didn't you think we'd approve?" Lena asked.

"Because Mat and I just started seeing each other again, and I knew you'd say it was too soon."

Well, Love," Stef began, "It is too soon. Just like when Jesus slept with Hayley after breaking up with Emma, it was too soon." Stef paused before continuing. "Sex is a great thing. It's enjoyable, fun, and it brings you closer to your partner than you could ever imagine. Sex with the right person is phenomenal." Stef looked at Lena with a smile in her eyes, "But, I don't think you know Mat well enough to know if he's the right person."

"I feel like I know him really well. We've been in the same circle of friends for a few years."

"But being a friend with someone," Lena began, "is different than dating someone. You don't know his emotional plans, affections, or desires like you should.'

"So what about sex with someone who isn't clearly the right person?" Mariana asked.

Stef shifted in her seat, "Well," she began, clearing her throat, "sex with someone you don't know very well can certainly be pleasurable and exciting, but it's not on the same level as when it's with someone you truly know and love. The sex is so much better when it's more than just sex, when it's about being closer to someone else than you've ever been."

"What do you mean?" Mariana asked.

"After your Mom and I got married," Lena began, "I felt closer to her than I had ever felt before. We'd been together hundreds of times, and there was no doubt in my mind that I loved her and she loved me. But for some reason, having that wedding and proclaiming our love before all our friends and family made me realize that much more how amazing a woman your Mom is, and it made me feel so much closer to her that night."

"Sex," Stef began, "is about giving yourself wholly and completely to another person and expecting the same in return. For me, although a part of me loved Mike and always will, my relationship with your Mama has been so much better because I've been able to comfortably give all that I am to her when we're together."

"We're not saying that Mat definitely isn't the right person," Lena said, "but we don't want you to rush into anything. You control your body, it is yours. No man or woman you ever love has the right to tell you what to do with it. You should never let anyone coerce you into doing something you aren't comfortable with. We think being sexual beings is healthy, but it also needs to be handled carefully."

Mariana looked at her moms. They'd never been this frank with her about sex or their romantic life together as they were being tonight. "Mat didn't coerce me into anything. I wanted to do this. And he was sweet, kind, and gentle. He asked me repeatedly if I wanted to stop, and he made sure I knew that my wishes came first. I asked him repeatedly if this was something he wanted, and he assured me it wasn't just sex, but it was with me specifically that he wanted. He's had other girlfriends in the past, I know he's had sex before. But he wanted me. And before you ask, he wasn't just saying that to get me to sleep with him. He introduced me to his parents when I got to his house, we had supper, and he has been introducing me to his friends as 'someone special' in his life. I know you don't think I thought this through, but I really did. My mistake was in lying to you about my whereabouts."

Stef and Lena looked at their daughter. She had matured quite a bit in recent months, and they couldn't deny that they were proud.

"Okay, off to bed," Lena said, "we'll talk more about this tomorrow."

Mariana nodded and rose to hug her moms.

"We love you so much, that's why we're a pain sometimes," Stef said through her squeeze.

"We don't want to see you get hurt," Lena said.

They sat as they watched Mariana round the corner and head for the stairs.

"What're we going to do with our kids?" Stef asked.

"We agreed to raise them in a sex-positive house, and this is part of what that looks like," Lena said, nuzzling into her wife's side.

"Yeah," Stef scoffed, "and why didn't we think through all the repeated talks we'd have to have throughout the years?"

"Because these necessary repeated talks are what make our kids conscientious people in this world who know their bodies and care about their partners," the brunette said.

Stef looked at the clock. She had to be up in two hours to head to the gym for a training day. "Well, you should go up and go to sleep," she said, kissing her wife on the forehead.

"And what are you going to do?" she replied.

"I'm likely going to pay some bills," Stef said, "I have to head to the gym at five-thirty for training, so there isn't much sense in my sleeping for two hours. It'll do more harm than good for my alertness."

Lena leaned in and kissed her wife on the lips. "Did you mean what you said about our relationship, about being able to wholly give yourself to me?" she asked, peppering kisses along her wife's neck.

"Mhm. Definitely." Stef replied.

"Well then, why don't you give yourself to me?" Lena asked, grabbing Stef's hand and leading her upstairs to their bedroom. "The bills will wait another day."

They spent the next two hours reveling in each other's presence. Their lovemaking was slow and purposeful. They were connecting on the deepest of intimate levels. They brought each other to climax multiple times, their bodies covered in a sheen of sweat, their breathing jagged and uneven, their throats dry from panting and sore from withholding screams and moans. Their bed sheets were soaked and their muscles sore. It was 4:00 when they'd had enough.

"I have to get up and shower now, Love," Stef said. She kissed her wife repeatedly, left their bed, and drew the top bed sheet up to cover her wife. "You sleep, I'll be home after training and work."

As Stef turned to walk away, Lena grabbed Stef's hand, pulled her back to the bed, and flipped them both over so that she was straddling her wife's center with her own.

"You have thirty minutes to spare," the brunette said, "I want you again." She punctuated her desire with a kiss, her tongue seeking entrance into her wife's mouth.

"Let's kill two birds with one stone, the blonde said with a wink. "I'll give you the next hour if we move this into the shower."

Lena rose from the bed, grabbed her wife's wrist, and pulled her behind her. Entering the bathroom, she cranked the water on and pushed her wife in, not waiting for the water to warm up.

Stef yelped as the ice cold water hit her, but it had a desired effect in that her nipples instantly hardened. Lena pushed the blonde beauty up against the wall and began placing kisses and nips along her wife's collarbone.

Stef allowed herself to be taken under. She knew today was going to be a good day.

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

"So, what's going on with you today?" Mike asked, "you're dragging ass, Stef."

"Mariana snuck in late last night, by the time Lena and I had finished talking to her, there wasn't much point in me only getting two hours of sleep."

They were going through a training course at the shooting range after having spent four hours at the gym. A pop-up of a woman with a gun snapped around the corner of the building. Stef and Mike each unloaded one bullet, Mike's bullet hitting the shoulder of the arm the pop-up held the gun with, Stef's bullet hitting in a knee. Ever since the incident with Ana's boyfriend, they always aimed for non-lethal shots whenever possible. It was better to have a suspect to question for leads than a dead suspect whether guilty or innocent.

"But you had fun for that time." Mike said, a wink in his eye.

"Excuse me?" Stef replied confrontationally, not stopping as they moved throughout the course. "Clear!" she yelled, sweeping a room.

"You've got a mark on your neck. It's barely visible under the collar of your shirt."

Stef grumbled under her breath.

"Relax," Mike said. If you're wearing a vest or your uniform, no one will know. We finish here, just put a jacket on and go home."

Something had changed in Mike in recent months. Since he'd quit drinking and Dani had been arrested, he'd been largely single, but happy. His working the program seemed to have brought him a sense of stability.

"Hey," he began, "I'm going out to see Brandon for a bit, do you have anything you'd like me to take to him?"

"No, but if you can sneak him back in your suitcase, I'd really appreciate it," she replied. "I miss that young man."

Mike nodded in understanding. "How are things with adopting Stephen and Katie?"

"Could be better. The Judge wants more info on their step-dad's progress in prison. Kevin didn't think we have too much to worry about when we met a few days ago. But I can't help but fear that we might lose these kids one day."

"Stef," Mike began as they processed through the course, "if Kevin doesn't think you have anything wo worry about yet, then trust him. That's why you hired him. From what I can tell, he's the best there is. Pretend he's your partner on patrol. You've gotta trust the guy who has your six, and they've gotta trust that you've got theirs. Just do whatever he asks of you and you'll be fine."

Lena nodded as they exited the course. "Yeah, you're right."

Just as Stef and Mike were walking out of the locker room , having changed into their uniforms, an alert blared over the closed-system police network.

"Reports of a school shooting. Two known assailants, unknown number of victims. Over."

Lena pushed the button on her radio, "Dispatch, Adam 110 responding. What's the location?"

"Location, Anchor Beach Community Charter School, Adam 110. Shall I tell coordinators you're responding?"

Mike and Stef looked at each other before sprinting to the car. "Yes, Adam 110 responding to call of shots fired at Anchor Beach Charter School. Advise that all other possible units report."

"Keys!" Mike shouted over his shoulder. Stef pulled them from her hip and accurately tossed them to her partner as they jumped into the car. Stef turned on the lights and sirens while Mike threw the car into drive and they took off.

As they drove, Stef tried calling Lena on her phone, but received no response. She anxiously sat, feeling powerless as Mike drove. Soon, her phone chirped, and she looked at a text message from Jesus. "I'm out safe. Have M, J, and S with me. Couldn't find Mama. Keeping us on the beach 'til someone can come get us."

Stef breathed a sigh of relief, her kids were okay. She sent a quick text back to Jesus, "I love you all! Take care of them. Calling Grandma Dana to come get you."

Mike looked at Stef, "everything okay?" he asked.

"The kids are all out safe, but Jesus couldn't find Lena and she's not answering her phone when I call."


	11. Chapter 10

Stef killed the siren in the cruiser as they approached the school. They parked a block away and moved in on foot. Surprisingly, they were the first two emergency officials to respond to the call.

"Dispatch, be advised that Adam 110 is first to respond and is going into the school building."

"Negative, Adam 110, you're to wait outside and help emerging students, faculty, and staff to safety."

"Dispatch, be advised that gunfire can be heard and Adam 110 is responding by entering the building."

"Negative, Adam 110, control units will be arriving shortly to organize the response efforts."

"Dispatch, this is Officer Adams Foster, my wife is Vice Principal at Anchor Beach, and I will be going into that building to protect the lives of the faculty, staff, and students in her care."

Stef looked at Mike, and they cautiously entered the building. Someone had pulled the fire alarm, and sprinklers were spraying throughout the building. The siren made it difficult to communicate, but Stef and Mike worked well together. Thankfully, the building was mostly empty of people moving about. Slowly, they began progressing through the school, entering one room and then the next to secure them. When they came across anyone hiding, they quickly ushered them out the way they had come. Suddenly, their radios started to relay static. Quickly, both reached down to turn them off, not wanting to alert anyone as to their presence. They cleared the library, the cafeteria, and the gymnasium before progressing on toward the classrooms and administrative offices. As they entered the classroom belonging to Timothy, they saw one of the assailants, a young man who appeared to be in Jude's grade. He had his back to the open doorway and was holding Timothy and two students hostage. Mike nodded to Stef, knowing that this could get very messy very quickly. Thankfully, as the sprinklers and sirens continued to make noise, Mike was able to sneak behind the assailant. Stef had her weapon trained, ready to fire if necessary. Mike quickly reached around and grabbed both the butt and the barrel of the gun as he pulled it flush against the assailant's body, making it impossible for the young man to fire a shot. As he dragged the boy out of the classroom, Stef quickly grabbed her handcuffs and attached one end to the boy's wrist. They wrestled him, together, to the ground, disarmed him, and secured his hands behind his back. He looked frightened, like he didn't know what was going on around him. Quickly Mike and Stef lifted him from the ground, turned to Timothy and the students, and began walking all four out of the building. When they turned the corner back by the gymnasium, they encountered reinforcements heading the other way. Stef wanted to turn and go with them to find Lena, but she knew that she and Mike needed to walk this boy out first.

"Timothy," Mike shouted, "when we leave the building, you and your students need to have your hands very high in the air. Stef is going to walk out in front of you, but you need to make it very clear to those guys with guns outside that you are not a threat. Understood?"

Timothy and the students nodded and prepared to exit the building behind Stef.

She exited shouting, "Police! Survivors in tow!" as loud as she could, making sure to stand in front of the group in case anyone was anxious and potentially took a shot." She escorted Timothy and the students to the safe zone before returning to Mike.

"Peaceful takedown, no shots fired," Mike told the Captain in charge. "As far as we'd come, no bodies either. Victims were all alive."

"Good work, you two," she said. "Now stay out here and let SWAT handle the rest."  
"With all due respect, Captain, my wife is still in there, and I can't just stand by-" Lena started.

"Oh, but you will," the Captain said, "Listen, Adams Foster, if you're out here, you're not in there potentially getting shot, And if you're not potentially getting shot, you're not dying on your kids who may have already lost one mother today."

Stef's stomach lurched at the thought of Lena's death. She spun and spilled the contents of her stomach behind the cruiser.

"You'll stay right here. I won't have you going back in there."

Suddenly, the alarm stopped. An eerie silence filled the air. The sprinklers could still be heard running, but the blaring alarm had ceased. Stef waited with bated breath, her eyes trained upon the entrance. Suddenly, she saw a figure in the doorway, a SWAT officer clad in full protective body gear. As the train of officers exited the building, Stef wondered what was going on. She remembered having turned her radio off, and reached back to turn it on.

"Building secure, suspect apprehended, no shot takedown."

Stef breathed a sigh of relief that this nightmare was over before realizing that she still didn't know the fate of her wife.

Stef watched the entrance, and when she saw her wife emerge, arms raised, she felt her world stand still and her breathing stop. Before she knew what she was doing, she was running across the lawn toward the entrance of the school, to her wife.

She crashed into her wife in a forceful embrace, her lips seeking her wife's while her hands cradled her lover's head. Her hands explored her wife's body, ensuring she wasn't hurt and that she wasn't a figment of the blonde's imagination.

"Oh, God!" Stef said through kisses and tears, "I thought I'd lost you. I thought…"

"Shhhh, Stef, I'm here. I'm here." Lena embraced her wife, not caring who saw them. "It's over. No fatalities. Everyone is accounted for and alive."

The two women stood in an embrace for a long while, clothes soaking from the sprinkler system. Soon, Mike approached with an emergency blanket for them. "C'mon, let's get you home to your kids."

Stef and Mike dropped Lena off before heading to the precinct. There were going to be mounds of paperwork, but they were most happy that everyone, gunmen included, had escaped unharmed. Somehow, whether they were just bad shots or what, no one had caught a bullet, and that in and of itself was a miracle. As they entered the precinct, the Captain was going an overview of what they knew.

"Two people with guns, a young woman and a young man, were apprehended today successfully. Apparently the parents of the two children, siblings, had received unflattering reports during parent/teacher conferences, and the two individuals in question were desirous of some revenge against their teachers. They have been handed over to SWAT and the FBI who will run an in-depth investigation. Fir right now, give yourselves a round of applause that this didn't turn out worse."

As the officers of the precinct sat stunned from the day's events, the Captain continued, "And each officer will be undergoing a mental evaluation with the psychiatrist before returning to work, no questions about it."

Mike and Stef looked at each other before turning to take a seat.

"You okay?" Mike asked.  
Stef shook her head. "No, I thought I'd lost one of them today. Mike, I couldn't bear it. I was so scared when that call came in, and I was scared to enter that building. All I could think about was a kid rounding the corner in escape and getting shot, one of my kids."

"Stef, go home. Hug your wife. Hug your babies. Tell them you love them."

Stef nodded and stood from her seat, "Thanks, Mike." She started to walk to the door and paused, "Hey, Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you had my six today."

Mike nodded with a smile as Stef turned to leave.


End file.
